Fast and low-cost computational method can monitor spread of antibiotic resistance over time

DNA is made up of adenine-thymine (AT) bonds and guanine-cytosine (GC) bonds. The frequency of each type of bond differs substantially across bacterial species. A new study uses this quirk of bacterial genetics to determine the origin and spread of various genes for antibiotic resistance. The new technique is so fast and inexpensive that it could be applied at regular intervals to track changes to bacterial genomes over time and detect emerging antibiotic resistance threats. Credit: National Human Genome Research Institute

Growing resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial treatments is a serious global healthcare challenge. A new study in Antibiotics demonstrates a method for tracking the spread of genes for antimicrobial resistance among bacterial populations over time. The new computational technique relies on the rapidly increasing availability of bacterial genetic sequences in public databases such as GenBank.

With the code Erill and colleagues Miquel Sánchez-Osuna and Jordi Barbé at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona developed, it’s possible to analyze the sequences of all known bacterial plasmids (little circular pieces of DNA that can exchange genes between bacteria) in about an hour. The results reveal which resistance genes are spreading most and the genes’ likely origin.

A computational analysis like this is much faster and less expensive than complex systems involving coordination among clinicians around the world. This means it could be carried out more frequently to help doctors and researchers stay updated on shifting resistance threats.

By Sarah Hansen, University of Maryland Baltimore County

Article can be accessed on: Medicalxpress