antibiotic resistance
- Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceEvolution of Cost-Free Resistance under Fluctuating Drug Selection in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Antibiotic resistance is a global problem that greatly impacts human health. How resistance persists, even in the absence of antibiotic treatment, is thus a public health problem of utmost importance. In this study, we explored the antibiotic treatment conditions under which cost-free resistance arises, using experimental evolution of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa...
- Observation | Applied and Environmental ScienceNovel β-Lactamase blaARL in Staphylococcus arlettae
Penicillins are an important group of antibiotics used to treat various types of infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria. So far, the blaZ gene was the only known β-lactamase gene in staphylococci. However, other putative β-lactamases were identified, and one of them was shown to be a novel functional β-lactamase encoded by blaARL in ...
- Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySelectable Markers for Use in Genetic Manipulation of Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter baumannii HUMC1
Multidrug-resistant (MDR), extensively drug-resistant (XDR), and pan-drug-resistant (PDR) strains of Acinetobacter baumannii have frequently been characterized. The ability of A. baumannii to develop resistance to antibiotics is a key reason this organism has been difficult to study using genetic...
- Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyGenomic Analysis of Factors Associated with Low Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli Sequence Type 95 Strains
Antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens is a major public health concern. This work was motivated by the observation that only a small proportion of ST95 isolates, a major pandemic lineage of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli, have acquired antibiotic resistance, in contrast to many other pandemic lineages. Understanding bacterial genetic factors that may...
- Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyFirst Case of Actinomycetoma in France Due to a Novel Nocardia Species, Nocardia boironii sp. nov
Bacterial mycetoma is an endemic infection in areas with tropical and subtropical climates. Thus, its presence in temperate climate areas remains rare. We report here the first case of autochthonous actinomycetoma in continental France originating from a Nocardia species other than N. brasiliensis, namely, Nocardia boironii. Considering the history...
- Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionSystematically Altering Bacterial SOS Activity under Stress Reveals Therapeutic Strategies for Potentiating Antibiotics
Our antibiotic arsenal is becoming depleted, in part, because bacteria have the ability to rapidly adapt and acquire resistance to our best agents. The SOS pathway, a widely conserved DNA damage stress response in bacteria, is activated by many antibiotics and has been shown to play central role in promoting survival and the evolution of resistance under antibiotic stress. As a result, targeting the SOS response has been proposed as an...
- Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyPopulation Genomics of Reduced Vancomycin Susceptibility in Staphylococcus aureus
The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens are two of the gravest threats to public health facing the world today. We report the development and application of a novel population genomic technique aimed at uncovering the evolutionary dynamics and genetic determinants of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. This method was...
- Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCRISPR-Cas and Restriction-Modification Act Additively against Conjugative Antibiotic Resistance Plasmid Transfer in Enterococcus faecalis
Enterococcus faecalis is a bacterium that normally inhabits the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and other animals. Although these bacteria are members of our native gut flora, they can cause life-threatening infections in hospitalized patients. Antibiotic resistance genes appear to be readily shared among high-risk...
- Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologyLessons Learned from Probing for Impacts of Triclosan and Triclocarban on Human Microbiomes