Arms racing between human beings and pathogens: NDM-1 and superbugs.
- Author:
Mingwei SUN
1
;
Beiwen ZHENG
;
George F GAO
;
Baoli ZHU
Author Information
1. CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH:
Anti-Bacterial Agents;
pharmacology;
Bacteria;
drug effects;
genetics;
Drug Resistance, Bacterial;
genetics;
Gene Transfer, Horizontal;
Mutation;
Plasmids;
genetics;
beta-Lactamases;
genetics
- From:
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology
2010;26(11):1461-1472
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Throughout human history, pandemic bacterial diseases such as the plague and tuberculosis have posed an enormous threat to human beings. The discovery of antibiotics has provided us with powerful arsenal for the defense against bacterial infections. However, bacteria are acquiring more and more resistance genes to shield off antibiotics through mutation and horizontal gene transfer. Therefore, novel antibiotics must be produced and the arms race between bacterial pathogens and antibiotics is becoming increasingly intense. Recently, researchers have found that plasmids carrying a new metallo-beta-lactamase gene, blaNDM-1, and many other antibiotics resistance genes can easily spread through bacterial populations and confer recipient stains resistance to nearly all of the current antibiotics. It is a threat to the human health and a great challenge for our medical science, which we are facing. We need to find new ways to fight and win this arms racing.
