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Antibiotic Resistance Parts

Introduction to Antibiotic Resistance

The established mechanisms of antibiotic resistance include the following:

 1. Enzymes that inactivate the antibiotic [famously (a). beta-lactamases that destroy penicillins and related compounds and (b) enzymes that acetylate chloramphenicol].

  2. Proteins that keep antibiotics from entering the cell (by blocking the outer-membrane pores), or actively pump them out after they enter.

  3. Alteration of the drug binding site (vancomycin resistance comes from a switch in the chemistry of the cell-wall cross-linking peptide). This category also includes mutations in ribosomal RNA.

  4. Substitution of an alternative metabolic pathway (as in the case of sulfonamide resistance).