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World War II, Sex and Antibiotics

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Abstract

The recent Covid-19 pandemic has added a huge economic cost to the existing burden of antibiotic resistance and its rapid spread. This has led to increasing concern and efforts among the global health systems to control the spread of antibiotic resistance. Research on the mechanisms underlying antibiotic resistance and the creation of novel antibiotics has received a great deal of attention. Bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics through chromosomal mutations but also often acquire plasmids carrying antibiotic resistance through horizontal gene transfer. However, little is understood about how bacteria retain and maintain the plasmid carrying antibiotic resistance genes through generations. In this article, we describe different strategies by which bacteria maintain and partition plasmids into daughter cells. We present the article in two parts, with the first part covering the historical background of the discovery of plasmids and their role in antibiotic resistance. In the second part, we elaborate on our understanding of its partitioning into daughter cells and maintenance. A detailed understanding of these diverse mechanisms should help us develop novel antibiotics and innovative interventions to tackle the alarming rise of anti-microbial resistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, 752 050, India

    Nivedita Mitra & Ramanujam Srinivasan

  2. Homi Bhabha National Institutes, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai, 400 094, India

    Nivedita Mitra & Ramanujam Srinivasan

Authors
  1. Dipika Mishra
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  2. Irene Aniyan Puthethu
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  3. Nivedita Mitra
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  4. Ramanujam Srinivasan
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Nivedita Mitra or Ramanujam Srinivasan.

Additional information

Dipika Mishra received her PhD from NISER, Bhubaneswar in 2022, working on DNA binding and plasmid segregation.

Irene Aniyan Puthethu is a final year master’s student NISER, Bhubaneswar. Interested microbiology, antibiotic resistance, bacterial cytoskeleton, and science communication.

Nivedita Mitra is currently a PhD student at NISER, Bhubaneswar, working on the detailed molecular mechanism of Type I and Type II plasmid segregation systems.

Ramanujam Srinivasan is Associate Professor at NISER (OCC, HBNI), Bhubaneswar. His group is interested in understanding plasmid maintenance and bacterial cell division in E. coli.

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Mishra, D., Puthethu, I.A., Mitra, N. et al. World War II, Sex and Antibiotics. Reson 28, 1093–1105 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-023-1639-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-023-1639-8

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