The Role Of Natural Environments In The Evolution Of Resistance Traits In Pathogenic Bacteria

Antibiotics and their resistance genes evolved in non-clinical (natural) environments before human utilization of antibiotics. Some antibiotics may serve for signalling purposes at the low concentrations found in nature, whereas some antibiotic resistance genes were originally selected for metabolic purposes or for signal trafficking. The high concentrations of antibiotics released in nature by human activities (medicine and farming), can shift those functional roles.

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Filed under: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses on April 15th, 2009