antibiotic resistance
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyPlasmid Dissemination and Selection of a Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Strain during Transplant-Associated Antibiotic TherapyAntibiotic-resistant bacteria are a serious threat to medically fragile patient populations. The spread of antibiotic resistance through plasmid-mediated mechanisms is of grave concern as it can lead to the conversion of endogenous patient-associated strains to difficult-to-treat pathogens.
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionModified Antibiotic Adjuvant Ratios Can Slow and Steer the Evolution of Resistance: Co-amoxiclav as a Case StudyAs antibiotic resistance spreads, a promising approach is to restore the effectiveness of existing drugs via coadministration with adjuvants that inhibit resistance. However, as for monotherapy, antibiotic-adjuvant therapies can select for a variety of resistance mechanisms, so it is imperative that adjuvants be used in a sustainable manner. We test whether the rate of resistance evolution can be decoupled from treatment efficacy using...
Perspective | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceAntibiotics: Combatting Tolerance To Stop ResistanceAntibiotic resistance poses an alarming and ever-increasing threat to modern health care. Although the current antibiotic crisis is widely acknowledged, actions taken so far have proved insufficient to slow down the rampant spread of resistant pathogens. Problematically, routine screening methods and strategies to restrict therapy failure almost exclusively focus on genetic resistance, while evidence for dangers posed by other bacterial...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyComparative Genomics of Antibiotic-Resistant Uropathogens Implicates Three Routes for Recurrence of Urinary Tract InfectionsThe increasing antimicrobial resistance of uropathogens is challenging the continued efficacy of empiric antibiotic therapy for UTIs, which are among the most frequent bacterial infections worldwide. It has been suggested that drug-resistant uropathogens could persist in the intestine after the resolution of UTI and cause recurrences following periurethral contamination. A better understanding of the transmission dynamics between the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCell Shape and Antibiotic Resistance Are Maintained by the Activity of Multiple FtsW and RodA Enzymes in Listeria monocytogenesThe human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is usually treated with high doses of β-lactam antibiotics, often combined with gentamicin. However, these antibiotics only act bacteriostatically on L. monocytogenes, and the immune system is needed to clear the infection. Therefore, individuals with a...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCommon Variants in the Glycerol Kinase Gene Reduce Tuberculosis Drug EfficacyTB control is limited in part by the length of antibiotic treatment needed to prevent recurrent disease. To probe mechanisms underlying survival under antibiotic pressure, we performed a genetic screen for M. tuberculosis mutants with altered susceptibility to treatment using the mouse model of TB. We identified multiple genes involved in a range of functions which...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDissecting Colistin Resistance Mechanisms in Extensively Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical IsolatesThe discovery of antibiotics revolutionized modern medicine and enabled us to cure previously deadly bacterial infections. However, a progressive increase in antibiotic resistance rates is a major and global threat for our health care system. Colistin represents one of our last-resort antibiotics that is still active against most Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, but increasing resistance is reported worldwide, in particular due to the...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyOptical DNA Mapping Combined with Cas9-Targeted Resistance Gene Identification for Rapid Tracking of Resistance Plasmids in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit OutbreakThis study presents how a novel method, based on visualizing single plasmids using sequence-specific fluorescent labeling, could be used to analyze the genetic dynamics of an outbreak of resistant bacteria in a neonatal intensive care unit at a Swedish hospital. Plasmids are a central reason for the rapid global spread of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. In a single experimental procedure, this method replaces many traditional...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyRadD Contributes to R-Loop Avoidance in Sub-MIC TobramycinBacteria frequently encounter low concentrations of antibiotics. Active antibiotics are commonly detected in soil and water at concentrations much below lethal concentration. Although sub-MICs of antibiotics do not kill bacteria, they can have a major impact on bacterial populations by contributing to the development of antibiotic resistance through mutations in originally sensitive bacteria or acquisition of DNA from resistant bacteria...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyPopulation Structure, Molecular Epidemiology, and β-Lactamase Diversity among Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Isolates in the United StatesMultiple antibiotic resistance mechanisms, including two β-lactamases, L1, a metallo-β-lactamase, and L2, a class A cephalosporinase, make S. maltophilia naturally multidrug resistant. Thus, infections caused by S. maltophilia pose a big therapeutic challenge. Our study aims to understand the...