MICROORGANISMS ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE MECHANISMS - PRESENT VIEW
The emergence of resistance among the most important bacterial pathogens is globally recognized as one of the main threats to public health. A bacterial response to antimicrobial agents is an example of bacterial adaptation and the evolution of selfpreservation. “Survival of the fittest” is a consequence of the enormous genetic plasticity of bacterial pathogens, which leads to adaptation by mutations, the acquisition of new genetic material and / or a change in gene expression, causing resistance to the majority of antimicrobial agents currently available in clinical practice. Consequently, an understanding of the biochemical and genetic basis of resistance has paramount importance for the development of strategies limiting the spread of resistance, as well as for the elaboration of innovative therapeutic approaches against multidrug-resistant organisms. The article describes the main mechanisms of resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobial agents.