MECHANISMS OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE IN PATHOGENIC BACTERIA AND NEW THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES
Keywords:
Antibiotic resistance; pathogenic bacteria; efflux pumps; β-lactamases; bacteriophage therapy; CRISPR; antimicrobial peptides; multidrug resistance; microbiome modulation.Abstract
Antibiotic resistance has emerged as one of the most critical global health threats of the 21st century, undermining decades of progress in infectious disease control. The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) bacteria poses serious challenges for clinical management and public health. This paper explores the molecular mechanisms that enable pathogenic bacteria to evade antibiotic action, including enzymatic degradation, target modification, efflux pumps, and biofilm formation. Furthermore, it examines novel therapeutic strategies aimed at overcoming resistance, such as bacteriophage therapy, antimicrobial peptides, CRISPR-based genome editing, and microbiome modulation. The study emphasizes the urgent need for integrative approaches combining molecular biology, genomics, and synthetic biotechnology to counteract resistance evolution and restore antibiotic efficacy.
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