Antibiotic resistance: the pros and cons of probiotics.
For the prevention of intestinal disorders, probiotics can be rendered multidrug resistant to survive in the presence of co-administered antibiotics. This generates the possibility of resistance transfer from the probiotic to human bacterial pathogens, either directly or indirectly via the commensal flora. This article reviews the experiments to be performed and the criteria for assessment of safety of antibiotic resistant probiotics.
Courvalin
Patrice
P
Unité des Agents Antibactériens, Institut Pasteur, 25-28 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France. pcourval@pasteur.fr
D001407:Bacillus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D019936:Probiotics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012449:Safety