The development by a microorganism of the ability to resist the effect of an antibiotic. Antibiotic resistance is generally specific to an individual antibiotic, so that often another antibiotic may be used effectively against that microorganism. However, an increasing number of microorganisms have become resistant to a number of antibiotics, and there is a constant race between antibiotic developers and microorganisms.
The ability of microorganisms to survive in the presence of antibiotics. Chance mutations have provided some bacteria with genes for enzymes that destroy antibiotics such as penicillins, cephalosporins, or aminoglycosides. Other mutations have changed the structure of bacterial cell walls formerly penetrable by antibiotics or have created new enzymes for cellular functions previously blocked by drugs.
A condition in which bacteria can no longer be killed by a particular antibiotic.
Infectious agents possess the remarkable capability to alter their biochemical composition in a manner that renders antibiotics ineffective. This transformative process undermines the efficacy of the antibiotic, impeding its ability to combat the invading pathogens.