Skip to main content
Log in

Antibiotic resistance of bacteria: A global challenge

  • General / Article
  • Published:
Resonance Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics poses a serious challenge to the prospect of chemotherapy. Rational use of antibiotics is most desirable but it cannot provide a permanent solution to the problem. In this article the biochemical and genetic basis of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is discussed with examples. The non-clinical aspects of antibiotic-resistance are also dealt with in brief.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Suggested Reading

  1. C F Amabile-Cuevas, New antibiotics and new resistance, American Scientist, Vol.91, pp.138–149, 2003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. R I Aminov, The role of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in nature, Environmental Microbiology, Vol.11, pp.2970–2988, 2009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. HW Boucher, GH Talbot, J S Bradley, JE Edwards, D Gilbert, LB Rice, M Scheld, B Spellberg and J Bartlett, Bad bugs, no drugs: No ESKAPE! An update from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Clin. Infect. Dis., Vol.48, pp.1–12, 2009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. G Brackman, P Cos, L Maes, H J Nelis and T Coenye, Quorum sensing inhibitors increase the susceptibility of bacterial biofilms to antibiotics in vitro and in vivo, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., Vol.55, pp.2655–2661, 2009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. M K Chattopadhyay and H-P Grossart, Antibiotic resistance, intractable and here’s why, British Medical Journal, Vol.341, p.c6848, 2010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. R Jayraman, Antibiotic resistance: An overview of mechanisms and a paradigm shift, Curr. Sci., Vol.96, pp.1475–1484, 2009.

    Google Scholar 

  7. P Keith, Uninhibited antibiotic target discovery via chemical genetics, Nature Biotechnol., Vol.22, pp.1528–1529, 2004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. S B Levy, The antibiotic paradox: How the miracle drugs are destroying their miracle, Plenum Press, New York, USA, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  9. M N Alekshun and S B Levy, The escherichia coli mar locus — antibiotic resistance and more, ASM News, Vol.70, pp.451–456, 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  10. K Palaniappan and R A Holley, Use of natural antimicrobials to increase antibiotic susceptibility of drug resistant bacteria, Int. J. FoodMicrobiol., Vol.140, pp.164–168, 2010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. J L Rosner, Nonheritable resistance to chloramphenicol and other antibiotics induced by salicylates and other chemotactic repellents in Escherichia coli K-12, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA. Vol.82, pp.8771–8774, 1985.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. G H Talbot, What is in the pipeline for Gram-negative pathogens? Expert Rev, Anti Infect. Ther., Vol.6, pp.39–49, 2008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. S K Vooturi and S M Firestine, Synthetic membrane-targeted antibiotics, Curr. Med. Chem., Vol.17, pp.2292–2300, 2010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Saurabh Dhawan and Tomas J Ryan, The bacterium that got infected by a cow!, Resonance, Vol.12, No.1, pp.49–59, 2007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. H Surya Prakash Rao, Capping drugs: Development of prodrugs, Resonance, Vol.8, No.2, pp.19–27, 2003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Avantika Lal, Quorum sensing: How bacteria talk to each other, Resonance, Vol.14, No.9, pp.866–871, 2009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Saswati Sengupta.

Additional information

Saswati Sengupta is a reserach associate at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR). Her areas of interest are therapeutic proteins and intellectual property rights.

Madhab K Chattopadhyay is a scientist at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR). His areas of interest are stress adaptation of bacteria and antibiotic resistance in microorganisms.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sengupta, S., Chattopadhyay, M.K. Antibiotic resistance of bacteria: A global challenge. Reson 17, 177–191 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-012-0017-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-012-0017-8

Keywords

Navigation