ISCID News Editor
Moderator
Member # 1417
|
posted 03. March 2006 00:44
Source: Rockefeller University Newswire
Genetic ‘stress response’ may explain how bacteria resist drugs
Paragraphs 3 and 4:
“Previous studies have tried to characterize the mechanisms for vancomycin-resistance,” says Rockefeller’s Alexander Tomasz, the senior author of the study, “but the major problem has been that no vancomycin-susceptible parental strain was available that could be used for comparison. In our study, we had access to isolates of S. aureus from a single patient at different times during vancomycin therapy, and this provided us with an opportunity to look at how the bacteria change over time in response to antibiotic treatment.”
Using custom-designed gene chips, Tomasz and colleagues compared samples of S. aureus bacteria from the patient, taken at different times during treatment, looking for variations in their genetic blueprints. Their experiments confirmed that both the resistant and the susceptible parental bacteria were isogenic, meaning they carried the same genetic determinants.
Rockefeller University Newswire
[ 03. March 2006, 00:45: Message edited by: ISCID News Editor ]
IP: Logged
|
Printer-friendly view of this topic