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. 2016 Mar 7;6(1):e1096996.
doi: 10.1080/21597081.2015.1096996. eCollection 2016 Jan-Mar.

Counteracting selection for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Ido Yosef  1 , Miriam Manor  1 , Udi Qimron  1
Affiliations

Counteracting selection for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Ido Yosef et al. Bacteriophage. .

Erratum in

  • doi: 10.1073/pnas.1500107112

Abstract

The occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens is on the rise because antibiotics exert selection pressure that kills only the antibiotic-sensitive pathogens. Sanitation and cleansing of hospital surfaces and the skin of medical personnel do not counteract this selective pressure, but rather indiscriminately reduce total pathogens on treated surfaces. Here, we discuss two recently introduced genetic strategies, based on temperate bacteriophages as DNA-delivery vehicles, that aim to sensitize bacteria to antibiotics and selectively kill the antibiotic-resistant ones. Outlooks for rendering one such approach more efficient and applicable are proposed. We believe that using an end product designed according to the provided principles on hospital surfaces and in hand-sanitizers will facilitate substitution of antibiotic-resistant pathogens with sensitive ones.

Keywords: CRISPR-Cas; horizontal gene transfer; lytic bacteriophage; probiotics; sanitizers; temperate bacteriophage.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Different schemes for sensitizing bacteria to antibiotics. (A) A dominant sensitive gene, conferring sensitivity to antibiotics despite the presence of a resistance allele in the bacterium, is cloned with a tellurite resistance gene, conferring resistance to tellurite. This cassette is delivered by a lysogen into resistant bacteria, rendering them antibiotic sensitive, as well as tellurite-resistant. Addition of tellurite results in selection of antibiotic sensitive bacteria. (B) A CRISPR-Cas cassette targets resistance genes and protects against lytic phages. The cassette is delivered by a lysogen into resistant bacteria, rendering them antibiotic sensitive, as well as phage-resistant. Lytic phages select antibiotic sensitive bacteria.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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