Ann. Méd. Vét., 2012, 156 (2), pp 109-123 Bacterial antimicrobial
resistances: the mechanisms
and their contagiousnessMUYLAERT A., MAINIL J.G.Abstract :
After six decades of antimicrobial
use, pathogenic bacteria of
human and animal origin have reached
alarming levels of antibiotics
resistances. This literature review
will present a description of the
main mechanisms of antimicrobial
resistance reported today, of
which enzymatic antibiotic inactivation,
modification or replacement
of drug target, efflux pumps,
or reduced drug uptake are the
most common. We will then discuss
some concepts related to
the epidemiology of this phenomenon,
including the acquisition
routes of the genes responsible
for resistance such as conjugative
plasmids, transposable elements
and the integron system that
move genes between different
parts of the bacterial genome and
between different bacteria. Get the PDF Contact person : amuylaert@ulg.ac.be |