[Correspondence] How artificial is the antibiotic resistance definition?

Streptococcus pneumoniae is naturally susceptible to β-lactams since no β-lactamases have been described in this bacterium.1 Penicillin and cefotaxime, the preferred antibiotics for treating pneumococcal infections, act in the same way on S pneumoniae by inhibiting the peptidoglycan assembly.1 Thus, biologically, there should be no pneumococcus resi stant to cefotaxime and resistant to penicillin. However, defining the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) that indicate whether a bacterium is susceptible, intermediate, or resistant to antibiotics is a complex issue that depends on the microorganism, patient, and antibiotic used.

Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - June 22, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Seydina M Diene, C édric Abat, Jean-Marc Rolain, Didier Raoult Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research