title: Translational metagenomics and the human resistome: confronting the menace of the new millennium.
abstract: The increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance poses one of the greatest challenges to modern medicine. The collection of all antimicrobial resistance genes carried by various microorganisms in the human body is called the human resistome and represents the source of resistance in pathogens that can eventually cause life-threatening and untreatable infections. A deep understanding of the human resistome and its multilateral interaction with various environments is necessary for developing proper measures that can efficiently reduce the spread of resistance. However, the human resistome and its evolution still remain, for the most part, a mystery to researchers. Metagenomics, particularly in combination with next-generation-sequencing technology, provides a powerful methodological approach for studying the human microbiome as well as the pathogenome, the virolume and especially the resistome. We summarize below current knowledge on how the human resistome is shaped and discuss how metagenomics can be employed to improve our understanding of these complex processes, particularly as regards a rapid translation of new findings into clinical diagnostics, infection control and public health.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Str. 6, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany. matthias.willmann@med.uni-tuebingen.de.|German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. matthias.willmann@med.uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0095-4640
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Willmann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Str. 6, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.|German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peter
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control; D054892:Metagenome; D056186:Metagenomics / Q000379:methods; D064307:Microbiota / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Antibiotic selection pressure; Antimicrobial resistance; Bacteriophages; Clinical diagnostics; Next generation sequencing; Public health