New insights into antibiotic resistance

Treatment of severe infections caused by pathogenic bacteria relies on ‘last resort’ antibiotics, but rising resistance by ‘superbugs’ to most clinically approved drugs leaves patients exposed to possible fatalities. Researchers are focusing on how bacterial cells adapt and resist antimicrobial medications — with a new article focusing on a hospital strain of Acinetobacter baumannii and its cellular response to important antibiotic colistin.