The zeitgeist of resistance

Livermore, David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9856-3703 (2007) The zeitgeist of resistance. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 60 Suppl 1. i59-61. ISSN 0305-7453

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Abstract

The accumulation of bacterial antibiotic resistance is a dramatic demonstration of Darwin's dictum of the survival of the fittest, with serious practical consequences for the treatment of infection. Patterns and mechanisms of resistance undergo continuous evolution and, while the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has stabilized in the UK, other resistances are proliferating rapidly, notably those to cephalosporins and quinolones among Gram-negative bacteria; carbapenem resistance is growing too, notably in Acinetobacter spp. In contrast, several much-feared resistances, for example to vancomycin in staphylococci, have failed to accumulate significantly, despite repeated emergence. For a resistance to 'succeed', it needs to have a mechanism that imposes little fitness burden, along with a biologically 'fit' host strain or strains. Once this combination arises, control is extremely difficult.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: bacterial infections,drug resistance, bacterial,drug resistance, multiple, bacterial,gram-negative bacteria,gram-positive bacteria,great britain,humans
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Epidemiology and Public Health
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Public Health and Health Services Research
Depositing User: Pure Connector
Date Deposited: 24 Jan 2014 12:28
Last Modified: 24 Oct 2022 05:46
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/46707
DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkm160

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