-
Reviews on Environmental Health Nov 2020Bacterial pathogens resistant to multiple antibiotics are emergent threat to the public health which may evolve in the environment due to the co-selection of antibiotic... (Review)
Review
Bacterial pathogens resistant to multiple antibiotics are emergent threat to the public health which may evolve in the environment due to the co-selection of antibiotic resistance, driven by poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and/or heavy metal contaminations. The co-selection of antibiotic resistance (AMR) evolves through the co-resistance or cross-resistance, or co-regulatory mechanisms, present in bacteria. The persistent toxic contaminants impose widespread pressure in both clinical and environmental setting, and may potentially cause the maintenance and spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In the past few years, due to exponential increase of AMR, numerous drugs are now no longer effective to treat infectious diseases, especially in cases of bacterial infections. In this mini-review, we have described the role of co-resistance and cross-resistance as main sources for co-selection of ARGs; while other co-regulatory mechanisms are also involved with cross-resistance that regulates multiple ARGs. However, co-factors also support selections, which results in development and evolution of ARGs in absence of antibiotic pressure. Efflux pumps present on the same mobile genetic elements, possibly due to the function of Class 1 integrons , may increase the presence of ARGs into the environment, which further is promptly changed as per environmental conditions. This review also signifies that mutation plays important role in the expansion of ARGs due to presence of diverse types of anthropogenic pollutants, which results in overexpression of efflux pump with higher bacterial fitness cost; and these situations result in acquisition of resistant genes. The future aspects of co-selection with involvement of systems biology, synthetic biology and gene network approaches have also been discussed.
Topics: Drug Resistance, Microbial; Microbiota; Selection, Genetic; Soil Microbiology
PubMed: 32681784
DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2020-0035 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jan 2022Antibiotic resistance comprising of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is an emerging problem causing global human health risks.... (Review)
Review
Antibiotic resistance comprising of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is an emerging problem causing global human health risks. Several reviews exist on antibiotic resistance in various environmental compartments excluding the air-borne resistome. An increasing body of recent evidence exists on the air-borne resistome comprising of antibiotic resistance in air-borne bioaerosols from various environmental compartments. However, a comprehensive review on the sources, dissemination, behavior, fate, and human exposure and health risks of the air-borne resistome is still lacking. Therefore, the current review uses the source-pathway-receptor-impact-mitigation framework to investigate the air-borne resistome. The nature and sources of antibiotic resistance in the air-borne resistome are discussed. The dissemination pathways, and environmental and anthropogenic drivers accounting for the transfer of antibiotic resistance from sources to the receptors are highlighted. The human exposure and health risks posed by air-borne resistome are presented. A health risk assessment and mitigation strategy is discussed. Finally, future research directions including key knowledge gaps are summarized.
Topics: Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Genes, Bacterial; Humans
PubMed: 34798728
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150154 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jul 2021Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are prevalent in estuarine and coastal environments due to substantial terrestrial input, aquaculture effluent, and... (Review)
Review
Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are prevalent in estuarine and coastal environments due to substantial terrestrial input, aquaculture effluent, and sewage discharge. In this article, based on peer-reviewed papers, the sources, spatial patterns, driving factors, and environmental implications of antibiotics and ARGs in global estuarine and coastal environments are discussed. Riverine runoff, WWTPs, sewage discharge, and aquaculture, are responsible for the prevalence of antibiotics and ARGs. Geographically, pollution due to antibiotics in low- and middle-income countries is higher than that in high-income countries, and ARGs show remarkable latitudinal variations. The distribution of antibiotics is driven by antibiotic usage and environmental variables (heavy metals, nutrients, organic pollutants, etc.), while ARGs are affected by antibiotics residues, environmental variables, microbial communities, and mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Antibiotics and ARGs alter microbial communities and biogeochemical cycles, as well as pose threats to marine organisms and human health. Our results provide comprehensive insights into the transport and environmental behaviors of antibiotics and ARGs in global estuarine and coastal environments.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Genes, Bacterial; Humans; Metals, Heavy; Sewage
PubMed: 33676219
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146009 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2021Antibiotics are antimicrobial agents primarily produced by certain bacteria and fungi. These drugs are some of the biological weapons used by the producers to survive in... (Review)
Review
Antibiotics are antimicrobial agents primarily produced by certain bacteria and fungi. These drugs are some of the biological weapons used by the producers to survive in their dense and multispecies communities where the resources could be scarce. Thus, the microorganisms, as antibiotic producers, also have the skills to avoid the antibiotic affect from immemorial time. However, the antibiotic resistance is a current global health threat because of the overuse, abuse, or use of antibiotics. Nowadays, resistance to all the antibiotic classes has emerged, which results in 700,000 annual deaths due to the drug-resistant diseases, and forecasts are dramatic for the coming years. This chapter reviews the evolution of the antibiotics discovery, the worldwide antibiotics resistances threat, their economical and clinical impact, as well as how the academia and the enterprises are facing the need of new antibiotics discovery or antimicrobial therapies implementation.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Humans
PubMed: 33977439
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1358-0_1 -
Future Microbiology Jan 2020
Topics: Bacteria; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Humans; Microbiological Techniques; Molecular Typing; Phylogeny; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; beta-Lactamases
PubMed: 32043365
DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2019-0264 -
Advances in Experimental Medicine and... 2024The rapid evolution of antibiotic resistance in Clostridioides difficile and the consequent effects on prevention and treatment of C. difficile infections (CDIs) are a...
The rapid evolution of antibiotic resistance in Clostridioides difficile and the consequent effects on prevention and treatment of C. difficile infections (CDIs) are a matter of concern for public health. Antibiotic resistance plays an important role in driving C. difficile epidemiology. Emergence of new types is often associated with the emergence of new resistances, and most of the epidemic C. difficile clinical isolates is currently resistant to multiple antibiotics. In particular, it is to worth to note the recent identification of strains with reduced susceptibility to the first-line antibiotics for CDI treatment and/or for relapsing infections. Antibiotic resistance in C. difficile has a multifactorial nature. Acquisition of genetic elements and alterations of the antibiotic target sites, as well as other factors, such as variations in the metabolic pathways or biofilm production, contribute to the survival of this pathogen in the presence of antibiotics. Different transfer mechanisms facilitate the spread of mobile elements among C. difficile strains and between C. difficile and other species. Furthermore, data indicate that both genetic elements and alterations in the antibiotic targets can be maintained in C. difficile regardless of the burden imposed on fitness, and therefore resistances may persist in C. difficile population in absence of antibiotic selective pressure.
Topics: Clostridioides; Clostridioides difficile; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Biofilms
PubMed: 38175476
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-42108-2_9 -
Environment International May 2023As the global concern over plastic pollution grows, efforts are underway to find environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional plastics. Bioplastics are being...
As the global concern over plastic pollution grows, efforts are underway to find environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional plastics. Bioplastics are being extensively researched and developed as a possible solution. This study compared the impact of two bioplastics, polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxy butyrate (PHB), on the proliferation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) during anaerobic digestion (AD). Both bioplastics (250-500 particles) could be degraded to a certain extent over 79 days, as indicated by higher methane production than the control without bioplastic particles. The PHB 500 reactor showed the highest methane yield along with the highest biodegradation efficiency (91 %) than other reactors amended with PHB and PLA particles. The highest ARG and MGE abundances were also observed in PLA 500, and the lowest ARG abundance was in PLA 250. Conversely, PHB reactors showed a relatively lower ARG abundance than the control. The correlation analysis suggested that most ARGs were positively correlated with PLA and negatively correlated with PHB (except for tetA, tetB, and tetX). Moreover, a correlation between MGEs and ARGs in PLA and PHB reactors was revealed by correlation analysis. These results show that AD responds differently to the different types/levels of bioplastics, which can ultimately influence the behavior of ARG proliferation. Thus, bioplastics may also pose a potential risk for spreading antibiotic resistance. These findings can be used as a basis for setting environmental standards for bioplastics and creating monitoring and control measures to prevent potential negative impacts on public health.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anaerobiosis; Polyesters; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Genes, Bacterial; Plastics; Methane; Cell Proliferation; Butyrates
PubMed: 37120980
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107938 -
Sheng Wu Gong Cheng Xue Bao = Chinese... Dec 2020The discovery of antibiotics is a big revolution in human history, and its clinical application has saved countless lives. However, with the widespread and abuse of... (Review)
Review
The discovery of antibiotics is a big revolution in human history, and its clinical application has saved countless lives. However, with the widespread and abuse of antibiotics, many pathogens have developed resistance, and even "Super Bacteria" resistance to multiple drugs have evolved. In the arms race between humans and pathogens, humans are about to face a situation where no medicine is available. Research on microbial antibiotic resistance genes, resistance mechanisms, and the spread of resistance has attracted the attention of many scientific researchers, and various antibiotic resistance gene databases and analysis tools have emerged. In this review, we collect the current databases that focus on antibiotics resistance genes, and discuss these databases in terms of database types, data characteristics, antibiotics resistance gene prediction models and the types of analyzable sequences. In addition, a few gene databases of anti-metal ions and anti-biocides are also involved. It is believed that this summary will provide a reference for how to select and use antibiotic resistance gene databases.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Infections; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Humans; Metals
PubMed: 33398956
DOI: 10.13345/j.cjb.200375 -
Nature Reviews. Microbiology Oct 2023Antibiotic resistance is currently one of the most important public health problems. The golden age of antibiotic discovery ended decades ago, and new approaches are... (Review)
Review
Antibiotic resistance is currently one of the most important public health problems. The golden age of antibiotic discovery ended decades ago, and new approaches are urgently needed. Therefore, preserving the efficacy of the antibiotics currently in use and developing compounds and strategies that specifically target antibiotic-resistant pathogens is critical. The identification of robust trends of antibiotic resistance evolution and of its associated trade-offs, such as collateral sensitivity or fitness costs, is invaluable for the design of rational evolution-based, ecology-based treatment approaches. In this Review, we discuss these evolutionary trade-offs and how such knowledge can aid in informing combination or alternating antibiotic therapies against bacterial infections. In addition, we discuss how targeting bacterial metabolism can enhance drug activity and impair antibiotic resistance evolution. Finally, we explore how an improved understanding of the original physiological function of antibiotic resistance determinants, which have evolved to reach clinical resistance after a process of historical contingency, may help to tackle antibiotic resistance.
Topics: Humans; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Bacterial Infections; Bacteria; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Biology; Drug Resistance, Bacterial
PubMed: 37208461
DOI: 10.1038/s41579-023-00902-5 -
Pest Management Science Sep 2021The challenges of resistance to antibiotics and resistance to herbicides have much in common. Antibiotic resistance became a risk in the 1950s, but a concerted global...
The challenges of resistance to antibiotics and resistance to herbicides have much in common. Antibiotic resistance became a risk in the 1950s, but a concerted global effort to manage it did not begin until after 2000. Widespread herbicide use began during the 1950s and was soon followed by an unabated rise in resistance. Here, we examine what lessons for combatting herbicide resistance could be learnt from the global, coordinated efforts of all stakeholders to avert the antibiotic resistance crisis. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
Topics: Drug Resistance, Microbial; Herbicide Resistance; Herbicides; Plant Weeds; Weed Control
PubMed: 33682995
DOI: 10.1002/ps.6357