Environmental hotspots for antibiotic resistance genes

MicrobiologyOpen

Sumana Kumar¹  Sumana Mahadevaiah²  Shalini Kunhikannan³  Colleen J. Thomas³  Steve Petrovski³  Ashley E. Franks³ 

[1] Department of Microbiology Faculty of Life Sciences JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research Mysuru India;Department of Microbiology JSS Medical College and Hospital Mysuru India;Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology School of Life Sciences College of Science, Health and Engineering La Trobe University Bundoora Vic Australia;

关键词: antibiotic resistance genes;    antimicrobial resistance;    clinical settings;    environmental hotspots;   

DOI  :  10.1002/mbo3.1197

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Bacterial resistance toward broad‐spectrum antibiotics has become a major concern in recent years. The threat posed by the infectious bacteria and the pace with which resistance determinants are transmitted needs to be deciphered. Soil and water contain unique and diverse microbial communities as well as pools of naturally occurring antibiotics resistant genes. Overuse of antibiotics along with poor sanitary practices expose these indigenous microbial communities to antibiotic resistance genes from other bacteria and accelerate the process of acquisition and dissemination. Clinical settings, where most antibiotics are prescribed, are hypothesized to serve as a major hotspot. The predisposition of the surrounding environments to a pool of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria facilitates rapid antibiotic resistance among the indigenous microbiota in the soil, water, and clinical environments via horizontal gene transfer. This provides favorable conditions for the development of more multidrug‐resistant pathogens. Limitations in detecting gene transfer mechanisms have likely left us underestimating the role played by the surrounding environmental hotspots in the emergence of multidrug‐resistant bacteria. This review aims to identify the major drivers responsible for the spread of antibiotic resistance and hotspots responsible for the acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes.

【 授权许可】

Unknown