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Review
. 2021 Jan 29;10(2):96.
doi: 10.3390/biology10020096.

Drug Resistance in Nontuberculous Mycobacteria: Mechanisms and Models

Saloni Saxena  1 , Herman P Spaink  1 , Gabriel Forn-Cuní  1
Affiliations
Review

Drug Resistance in Nontuberculous Mycobacteria: Mechanisms and Models

Saloni Saxena et al. Biology (Basel). .

Abstract

The genus Mycobacteria comprises a multitude of species known to cause serious disease in humans, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. leprae, the responsible agents for tuberculosis and leprosy, respectively. In addition, there is a worldwide spike in the number of infections caused by a mixed group of species such as the M. avium, M. abscessus and M. ulcerans complexes, collectively called nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTMs). The situation is forecasted to worsen because, like tuberculosis, NTMs either naturally possess or are developing high resistance against conventional antibiotics. It is, therefore, important to implement and develop models that allow us to effectively examine the fundamental questions of NTM virulence, as well as to apply them for the discovery of new and improved therapies. This literature review will focus on the known molecular mechanisms behind drug resistance in NTM and the current models that may be used to test new effective antimicrobial therapies.

Keywords: antimicrobial testing; drug discovery; drug resistance mechanisms; nontuberculous mycobacteria.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the intrinsic drug resistance mechanisms in bacteria.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Overview of the development process for new therapies against NTMs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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