Resistome

WikiDoc Resources for Resistome
Articles
Most recent articles on Resistome Most cited articles on Resistome Review articles on Resistome Articles on Resistome in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ
Media
Powerpoint slides on Resistome Images of Resistome Photos of Resistome Podcasts & MP3s on Resistome Videos on Resistome
Evidence Based Medicine
Cochrane Collaboration on Resistome Bandolier on Resistome TRIP on Resistome
Clinical Trials
Ongoing Trials on Resistome at Clinical Trials.gov Trial results on Resistome Clinical Trials on Resistome at Google
Guidelines / Policies / Govt
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Resistome NICE Guidance on Resistome NHS PRODIGY Guidance FDA on Resistome CDC on Resistome
Books
Books on Resistome
News
Resistome in the news Be alerted to news on Resistome News trends on Resistome
Commentary
Blogs on Resistome
Definitions
Definitions of Resistome
Patient Resources / Community
Patient resources on Resistome Discussion groups on Resistome Patient Handouts on Resistome Directions to Hospitals Treating Resistome Risk calculators and risk factors for Resistome
Healthcare Provider Resources
Symptoms of Resistome Causes & Risk Factors for Resistome Diagnostic studies for Resistome Treatment of Resistome
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
CME Programs on Resistome
International
Resistome en Espanol Resistome en Francais
Business
Resistome in the Marketplace Patents on Resistome
Experimental / Informatics
List of terms related to Resistome

The resistome is a proposed expression by Gerard D. Wright^[1] for the collection of all the antibiotic resistance genes and their precursors both in pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. This complete set of antibiotic resistance genes is composed of four different types of genes:

1. Resistance genes found on pathogenic bacteria. These are the fewest but also the most problematic ones at present.
2. Resistance genes found on antibiotic producers. The microorganisms such as soil-dwelling bacteria and fungi that naturally produce antibiotics have their own protection mechanisms^[2] to avoid the adverse effects of the antibiotics on them selfs. The genes which code for these resistances are a strong source^[3] for the pathogenic bacteria.
3. Cryptic resistance genes. These genes are embedded in the bacterial chromosome but do not obviously confer resistance, because their level of expression is usually low or their not expressed.
4. Precursor genes. These genes do not confer antibiotic resistance. However their proteins confer some kind of basal level activity against the antibiotic molecule or have affinity to the molecule. In both cases this interaction may evolve to a full resistance gene given the appropriate selection pressure.

The picture below (extracted from reference 1) demonstrates the proportion amount of this four gene types. Note that this groups are not independent, and some overlapping is expected between them.

The bacterial resistome and its components:
genes present in pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic producers,
cryptic resistance genes and resistance precursors genes.

[1] Wright, Gerard D. The antibiotic resistome: the nexus of chemical and genetic diversity. Nature Reviews Microbiology Vol. 5, 175-186 (March 2007)
[2] Cundliffe, E. How antibiotic-producing organisms avoid suicide. Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 43, 207–233 (1989).
[3] Benveniste, R. & Davies, J. Aminoglycoside antibioticinactivating enzymes in actinomycetes similar to those present in clinical isolates of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 70, 2276–2280 (1973).

Fabionic 12:14, 12 May 2007 (UTC)