Key Points
A study of Escherichia coli and salmonella enterica samples from 10 commercial chicken farms and slaughterhouses in China has found that the bacteria can evolve genetically to develop antimicrobial resistance by sharing genetic information, known as mobile genetic elements..
However, the extent to which bacteria do this across species is not fully understood, as most research studies focus on a single bacterial species," said Tania Dottorini, a co-author of the study, in an email to DW..
They found that the E. coli and S. enterica shared mobile genetic elements specifically linked to antimicrobial resistance (AMR)..
"This sharing of AMR-related mobile genetic elements from E. coli and S. enterica has not been identified previously but could be happening on a large scale in similar environments to the farms we studied," said Dottorini...
Vale was not involved in the current study, told DW that its findings showed that "real-world settings pose a significant threat of transferring AMR to humans and the environment, highlighting the importance of studying MGEs among bacteria."..
You might be interested in
Chatty, hangry, Lazarus-like: Astonishing new findings on how bacteria work
20, May, 23How do microbes go dormant for centuries, and then revive themselves? Could we potentially ‘talk’ to them? New findings could help science use bacteria better.
What makes us human? Primate genome study offers some clues
02, Jun, 23Chimpanzees and bonobos are the nearest genetically to humans, sharing roughly 98.8% of our DNA.
Superbugs behind fatal blood infections in India rapidly growing resistant to last-resort antibiotics
25, May, 24Findings published in Lancet based on ICMR data collected from 14 states. Study to help monitor anti-microbial resistance & tailor region-specific treatment plans, researchers say.