Bacteria develop resistance mechanisms by using instructions provided by their DNA. Often, resistance genes are found within plasmids, small pieces of DNA that carry genetic instructions from one germ to another. This means that some bacteria can share their DNA and make other germs become resistant.
Example: Gram-negative bacteria have an outer layer membrane that protects them from their environment. These bacteria can use this membrane to selectively keep antibiotic drugs from entering. Example: Some Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria can produce pumps to get rid of several different important antibiotic drugs, including fluoroquinolones, beta-lactams, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim.
Example: Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria produce enzymes called carbapenemases, which break down carbapenem drugs and most other beta-lactam drugs. Example: Some Staphylococcus aureus bacteria can bypass the drug effects of trimethoprim. Example: Escherichia coli bacteria with the mcr- 1 gene can add a compound to the outside of the cell wall so that the drug colistin cannot latch onto it. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.
Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. How Antibiotic Resistance Happens. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. About Antibiotic Resistance. Minus Related Pages. On This Page. Antibiotic Resistance Threatens Everyone Terms. To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: Email Address. Many diseases that once killed people can now be treated effectively with antibiotics.
However, some bacteria have become resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Antibiotic resistant bacteria are bacteria that are not controlled or killed by antibiotics.
They are able to survive and even multiply in the presence of an antibiotic. Most infection-causing bacteria can become resistant to at least some antibiotics. Bacteria that are resistant to many antibiotics are known as multi-resistant organisms MRO. Antibiotic resistance is a serious public health problem. It can be prevented by minimising unnecessary prescribing and overprescribing of antibiotics, the correct use of prescribed antibiotics, and good hygiene and infection control.
Some bacteria are naturally resistant to some antibiotics. For example, benzyl penicillin has very little effect on most organisms found in the human digestive system gut. Some bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics that were once commonly used to treat them.
In the past, these infections were usually controlled by penicillin. The most serious concern with antibiotic resistance is that some bacteria have become resistant to almost all of the easily available antibiotics. These bacteria are able to cause serious disease and this is a major public health problem. Important examples are:. Standard precautions in hospitals are work practices that provide a basic level of infection control for the care of all people, regardless of their diagnosis or presumed infection status.
These precautions should be followed in all hospitals and healthcare facilities and include:. Implementing standard precautions minimises the risk of transmission of infection from person to person, even in high-risk situations.
They are able to cause significant morbidity, and in some case, mortality, in both humans and animals. Tuberculosis is a disease caused by a bacterium that mainly affects the lungs to cause a persistent and, occasionally bloody, cough. This animation shows how bacteria exchange genes on small pieces of DNA called plasmids through a process called horizontal gene transfer.
If you have any other comments or suggestions, please let us know at comment yourgenome. Can you spare minutes to tell us what you think of this website? Open survey. In: Facts Targeting Disease. What are antibiotics? Antibiotics are medicines used to treat or prevent infections caused by bacteria. They work by inhibiting the growth of or destroying the bacteria. They do this in various ways, such as destroying the bacterial cell wall or inhibiting the generation of energy from glucose within the bacterial cell.
What is antibiotic resistance?
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