antibiodtic resistance

Antibiotic/Class of antibiotics

antibiotics are naturally occurring compounds evolved to kill competeing bacteria

Class refers to group of structurally related compounds that target the same bacterial proteins

Antibiotic resistance

acteria evolve mechanisms to survive or resist the drugs designed to kill them, rendering standard treatments ineffective

Biofilms

extracellular structures that can protect the

bacteria from the immune system and antibiotics

Fitness

Fitness: the number of surviving, fertile offspring that

an individual produces

• Genotypes with higher fitness outcompete genotypes

with lower fitness

• The fitness of a specific genotype depends on

specific environmental conditions

Selection

drives the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance when antibiotic use is common

Missense mutation

Mutation (usually missense) in the antibiotic target protein

so that the antibiotic no longer binds to the protein.

Horizontal gene transfer

the non-reproductive movement of genetic material between organisms, rather than from parent to offspring (vertical transmission).

Plasmid

Plasmids are small circular DNA molecules that are separate from the bacterial

chromosome

Multidrug resistant transporters

. They protect the cell by recognizing and actively pumping out a wide variety of harmful substances—such as antibiotics or chemotherapy drugs—before they can work.