Resistance, Tolerance, Virulence and Bacterial Pathogen Fitness—Current State and Envisioned Solutions for the Near Future

Abstract

The current antibiotic crisis and the global phenomena of bacterial resistance, inherited and non-inherited, and tolerance—associated with biofilm formation—are prompting dire predictions of a post-antibiotic era in the near future. These predictions refer to increases in morbidity and mortality rates as a consequence of infections with multidrug-resistant or pandrug-resistant microbial strains. In this context, we aimed to highlight the current status of the antibiotic resistance phenomenon and the significance of bacterial virulence properties/fitness for human health and to review the main strategies alternative or complementary to antibiotic therapy, some of them being already clinically applied or in clinical trials, others only foreseen and in the research phase.

Combating antimicrobial resistance: the silent war

“…( Sandoval-Motta and Aldana, 2016 ; D'Aquila et al, 2023 ). It enables bacteria to respond swiftly to antibiotic challenges, but once the inducing signal is no longer present, the bacteria typically revert to their original susceptibility to the antibiotics ( Lazar et al, 2023 ).…”

RBProkCNN: Deep learning on appropriate contextual evolutionary information for RNA binding protein discovery in prokaryotes

“…By acting as a regulator of various cellular processes and playing crucial role in sculpting the dynamic landscape of bacterial gene expression, prokaryotic RBPs contribute significantly to the adaptation of prokaryotes across diverse environmental conditions [9] , [10] . A noteworthy aspect of prokaryotic RBPs further lies in their participation in governing bacterial virulence and pathogenicity, pinpointing potential targets for novel antibiotic development [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] . In sum, identification of RBPs in prokaryotes holds significant importance for deciphering the gene expression patterns and propelling the field of precision medicine forward.…”

Staphylococcus aureus in Polymicrobial Skinand Soft Tissue Infections: Impact of Inter-Species Interactionsin Disease Outcome

“…Biofilms pose a significant challenge in the treatment of these infections due to their unique characteristics and the protective environment they create. In this regard, biofilms show increased resistance to host immunity and increased tolerance to antibiotics compared to their planktonic counterparts [22,23].…”