Open AccessGene flow, mobile genetic elements and the recruitment of antibiotic resistance genes into Gram‐negative pathogens
Author(s) -
Stokes Hatch W.,
Gillings Michael R.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
fems microbiology reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.91
H-Index - 212
eISSN - 1574-6976
pISSN - 0168-6445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2011.00273.x
Subject(s) - biology , antibiotic resistance , organism , antibiotics , gene , horizontal gene transfer , resistance (ecology) , microbial genetics , genetics , mobile genetic elements , microbiology and biotechnology , evolutionary biology , genome , ecology
Antibiotics were one of the great discoveries of the 20th century. However, resistance appeared even in the earliest years of the antibiotic era. Antibiotic resistance continues to become worse, despite the ever‐increasing resources devoted to combat the problem. One of the most important factors in the development of resistance to antibiotics is the remarkable ability of bacteria to share genetic resources via Lateral Gene Transfer (LGT). LGT occurs on a global scale, such that in theory, any gene in any organism anywhere in the microbial biosphere might be mobilized and spread. With sufficiently strong selection, any gene may spread to a point where it establishes a global presence. From an antibiotic resistance perspective, this means that a resistance phenotype can appear in a diverse range of infections around the globe nearly simultaneously. We discuss the forces and agents that make this LGT possible and argue that the problem of resistance can ultimately only be managed by understanding the problem from a broad ecological and evolutionary perspective. We also argue that human activities are exacerbating the problem by increasing the tempo of LGT and bacterial evolution for many traits that are important to humans.