Exeter University, Truro, UK.
Emerg Infect Dis. 2013 Jul;19(7). doi: 10.3201/eid1907.120871.
The clinical failure of antimicrobial drugs that were previously effective in controlling infectious disease is a tragedy of increasing magnitude that gravely affects human health. This resistance by pathogens is often the endpoint of an evolutionary process that began billions of years ago in non-disease-causing microorganisms. This environmental resistome, its mobilization, and the conditions that facilitate its entry into human pathogens are at the heart of the current public health crisis in antibiotic resistance. Understanding the origins, evolution, and mechanisms of transfer of resistance elements is vital to our ability to adequately address this public health issue.
先前能有效控制传染病的抗菌药物在临床上的失败是一个日益严重的悲剧，严重影响着人类健康。病原体的这种耐药性往往是数十亿年前在非致病微生物中开始的进化过程的终点。这种环境耐药组及其动员，以及有利于其进入人类病原体的条件是当前抗生素耐药性公共卫生危机的核心。了解耐药性元件的起源、进化和转移机制对于我们充分解决这一公共卫生问题至关重要。
