A resistance gene contains the information for the production of a protein that makes an antibiotic ineffective and hence confers resistance against an antibiotic to a pathogen.
Detailed description
Resistance genes are usually found on a ring-shaped piece of DNA, the plasmid. Like this, they can easily be passed on from one bacterium to another. Plants can possess resistance genes as well. They are usually directed against herbicides and pests.
Colistin is used as the “last-resort antibiotic” for dreaded multidrug-resistant pathogens, especially in hospitals. However, gut bacteria that have become insensitive to colistin now exist—owing to
Drugs against malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and other infectious diseases are still urgently needed in poorer countries. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, almost 430,000 people died
The German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) is one of nine founding organisations that have launched the alliance “CARA” (Conscience of Antimicrobial Resistance Accountability). Today, a
Hopes for tuberculosis treatment have been raised by an international study in which DZIF scientists from the Research Center Borstel were also involved. Resistance to pyrazinamide und
The mcr-1 gene makes gut bacteria insensitive to the last-resort antibioticcolistin. Especially in hospitals, colistin is used as a last treatment option for infections with dreaded multidrug
Salmonella infections in the bloodstream, caused by Salmonella enterica bacteria, are still the cause of many deaths in southern regions and Southeast Asia. Children between the age of two and five
World Tuberculosis Day on 24 March is a reminder to the public that 1.5 people still die of tuberculosis (TB) every year. The rise of multidrug-resistant strains is particularly problematic, currently
Researchers from the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) and the University of Giessen have shown that the gene for resistance to colistin, which was recently discovered in China, also exists
Scientists from the Research Center Borstel, the German Center for Infection Research, the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases have
According to figures of the World Health Organization, some 8.7 million people contracted tuberculosis in 2012 and this disease is fatal for approximately 1.3 million people throughout the world each
