Indirect Selection against Antibiotic Resistance via Specialized Plasmid-Dependent Bacteriophages

Microorganisms

Matti Jalasvuori¹  Cindy Given¹  Reetta Penttinen¹ 

[1] Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Nanoscience Center, University of Jyväskylä, Survontie 9C, P.O.Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland;

关键词: antibiotic resistance;    conjugative plasmids;    plasmid-dependent;    male-specific;    pilus-binding;    bacteriophages;   

DOI  :  10.3390/microorganisms9020280

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Antibiotic resistance genes of important Gram-negative bacterial pathogens are residing in mobile genetic elements such as conjugative plasmids. These elements rapidly disperse between cells when antibiotics are present and hence our continuous use of antimicrobials selects for elements that often harbor multiple resistance genes. Plasmid-dependent (or male-specific or, in some cases, pilus-dependent) bacteriophages are bacterial viruses that infect specifically bacteria that carry certain plasmids. The introduction of these specialized phages into a plasmid-abundant bacterial community has many beneficial effects from an anthropocentric viewpoint: the majority of the plasmids are lost while the remaining plasmids acquire mutations that make them untransferable between pathogens. Recently, bacteriophage-based therapies have become a more acceptable choice to treat multi-resistant bacterial infections. Accordingly, there is a possibility to utilize these specialized phages, which are not dependent on any particular pathogenic species or strain but rather on the resistance-providing elements, in order to improve or enlengthen the lifespan of conventional antibiotic approaches. Here, we take a snapshot of the current knowledge of plasmid-dependent bacteriophages.

【 授权许可】

Unknown