Advancements in Technologies Targeting Horizontal Gene TransferRoutes to Control Drug Resistance Evolution.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Genetics
• Public Health

Background:

• The rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is a global health crisis.
• Antibiotic resistance genes spread rapidly via horizontal gene transfer (HGT), challenging modern medicine.
• Traditional antibiotic development cannot keep pace with bacterial resistance evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current understanding of HGT in antibiotic resistance spread.
• To explore novel strategies for controlling HGT and mitigating antimicrobial resistance.
• To discuss the potential and challenges of translating these strategies into practice.

Main Methods:

• Review of current scientific literature on HGT mechanisms and resistance spread.
• Analysis of emerging technologies targeting HGT, including synthetic competence inhibitors, AOPs, CRISPR-Cas, gene drives, and antiplasmids.
• Evaluation of the potential for these strategies to disrupt horizontal gene flow and slow resistance evolution.

Main Results:

• HGT is a primary driver of antibiotic resistance dissemination.
• Several novel strategies show promise in laboratory settings for blocking HGT.
• These include synthetic competence inhibitors, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), CRISPR-Cas technologies, gene drives, and antiplasmids.
• Challenges exist in translating these promising laboratory findings into clinical and environmental applications.

Conclusions:

• Targeting HGT offers a proactive approach to combatting MDR infections.
• Blocking HGT can complement existing antimicrobial stewardship and therapies.
• Further research is crucial for developing scalable solutions to manage MDR infections by targeting resistance acquisition mechanisms.