Different bacterial species in each other’s environment can share genetic material, allowing them to adopt each other’s resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Scientists from the University of Nottingham discovered this in collaboration with Chinese colleagues.
The scientists examined the presence of Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Salmonella enterica, both of which show a high degree of drug resistance, at five poultry farms, at ten Chinese poultry farms and at four slaughterhouses.
The research shows that when E. coli and Salmonella enterica coexist in the intestines of chickens, they contain a higher proportion of antibiotic-resistant related material than when those species occur separately.
Genetic material
Tania Dottorini from the University of Nottingham, the lead researcher on the study, said: ‘These bacterial species may share genetic material, both within and potentially between species, a way in which resistance is spread.’
According to Dottorini, this is why these bacteria can adapt and share their genome in the same environment, and therefore in the same host. According to the researcher, this research, which according to her has never before taken place on such a large scale, provides new insights into a targeted resistance approach.
2024-01-08 13:16:00
#Bacteria #antibiotic #resistance
