title: Antibiotic resistance.
abstract: Through billions of years of evolution, microbes have developed myriad defense mechanisms designed to ensure their survival. This protection is readily transferred to their fellow life forms via transposable elements. Despite very early warnings, humans have chosen to abuse the gift of antibiotics and have created a situation where all microorganisms are resistant to some antibiotics and some microorganisms are resistant to all antibiotics. When antibiotics are used, six events may occur with only one being beneficial: when the antibiotic aids the host defenses to gain control and eliminate the infection. Alternatively, the antibiotic may cause toxicity or allergy, initiate a superinfection with resistant bacteria, promote microbial chromosomal mutations to resistance, encourage resistance gene transfer to susceptible species, or promote the expression of dormant resistance genes.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. tpallasch@earthlink.net
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Pallasch
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D003813:Dentistry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents