Loading...
It has long been known that small mobile genetic elements (MGEs) can transfer antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) between bacteria. Only recently has it been discovered that bacteriophages can also transfer ARGs effectively. So far, this phenomenon has mainly been studied in laboratory experiments and in bacteriophages isolated from the environment. Do bacteriophages in the human gut also carry ARGs?
Researchers in Barcelona, Spain, recently addressed this issue. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction techniques, they studied 80 human fecal samples from 46 females and 34 males aged 6 months to 102 years for ARGs underlying reduced quinolone susceptibility (qnrA, qnrS), β-lactamase (blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1) and aminoglycoside (armA) resistanc…