Antibiotic resistance gene discovery in food-producing animals.

Antibiotic resistance gene discovery in food-producing animals. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2014 Jun 30;19C:25-29 Authors: Allen HK Abstract Numerous environmental reservoirs contribute to the widespread antibiotic resistance problem in human pathogens. One environmental reservoir of particular importance is the intestinal bacteria of food-producing animals. In this review I examine recent discoveries of antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural animals. Two types of antibiotic resistance gene discoveries will be discussed: the use of classic microbiological and molecular techniques, such as culturing and PCR, to identify known genes not previously reported in animals; and the application of high-throughput technologies, such as metagenomics, to identify novel genes and gene transfer mechanisms. These discoveries confirm that antibiotics should be limited to prudent uses. PMID: 24994584 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Opinion in Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Curr Opin Microbiol Source Type: research