Acquired Antibiotic Resistance

Abstract

Antibiotics are chemicals used to control bacterial infections, produced by microorganisms (fungi, some bacteria) or obtained synthetically or semi-synthetically. The discovery of antibiotics has revolutionized the medical system, reducing morbidity and mortality rates and improving quality and length of life. Antibiotics affect essential processes in the bacterial cell, but bacteria have adapted to their action by developing antibiotic resistance. Though multidrug-resistant bacteria have emerged, they threaten the healthcare system globally by making it difficult to find effective antibiotics. This review focuses on the mechanisms leading to acquired antibiotic resistance, namely mutations and horizontal gene transfer, and on mobile genetic elements associated with antibiotic resistance (plasmids, transposons, and integrons) that disperse antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria.

Keywords

• horizontal gene transfer
• multidrug-resistant bacteria
• plasmid
• transposon
• integron