title: General mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics.
abstract: Resistance to antimicrobial agents may result from intrinsic properties of organisms, through mutation and through plasmid- and transposon-specified genes. beta-Lactam resistance is most frequently associated with one or more chromosomal- or plasmid-specified beta-lactamases. Recently, mutations modifying penicillin-binding proteins have been detected with increased frequency as a cause of beta-lactam resistance. Mixed mechanisms, reduced permeability and tolerance are other causes of resistance. Aminoglycoside resistance always involves some modification of drug uptake, most often due to a variety of enzymes modifying these compounds. Reduced uptake is a primary cause of resistance in anaerobic bacteria and bacteria growing anaerobically, some strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and mutants that arise during antimicrobial therapy and are defective in energy-generation systems. Resistance to other antimicrobial agents is presented in tabular form.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary Health Sciences Centre, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Bryan
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents