Scientists have found astonishing antibiotic resistant genes in the bacterial flora of South American Yanomami people. The South American tribe have never before been exposed to antibiotic drugs, and these findings suggest that bacteria in the human body have the ability to be non-responsive, or immune to effects of antibiotics since long before they were ever utilized to treat diseases. The article explains how researchers studied the antibiotic resistant genes through a practice known as functional metagenomics in order to identify functional antibiotic resistant genes from Yanomami fecal and oral samples. From this experiment they were able to identify nearly 30 additional resistant genes, previously unknown to science. Many of these genes deactivated natural antibiotics, but the scientists also found multiple genes that could resist semi-synthetic and synthetic antibiotics. As for how bacteria could resist drugs that such microbes never before had encountered, the researchers point to the possibility of cross-resistance, when genes that resist natural antibiotics also have the ability to resist related synthetic antibiotics.
I found this article be very interesting although a little difficult to read and understand. It's amazing that an isolated group of people have developed, or evolved in some fashion to be resistant to many antibiotics that they have never previously been exposed to! The possibility of cross-resistance makes sense as for an explanation of the phenomenon. I'm interested to see how research continues.
I also find it amazing that they are still finding isolated populations of people on the earth
ReplyDeleteThis article was very interesting, this is an example of why we should be looking into alternatives for antibiotics. They wont be functional forever and this study shows that antibacterial resistance can be developed without the presence of antibiotics.
ReplyDeleteIts very interesting to see how this tribe in South America who have never being exposed to antibiotic drugs have antibiotic resistant genes. This shows how the environment surrounding us have a major impact in our bodies.
ReplyDelete