US EPA

8290278 

Journal Article 

Inducible bacterial resistance 

Connamacher, RH 

1976 

Yes 

Antibiotics and Chemotherapy
ISSN: 0066-4758 

Vol.20 

8-66 

English 

This paper is a review which looks at inducible resistance as an entity. The first section describes the various determinants of inducibility such as time factors, reversibility, energy requirements, and specificity, including the methodology used to evaluate each parameter. The cause of inducible resistance are also described, including a discussion of plasmid vs. chromosomal DNA, genetics, and biochemical mechanisms again including the appropriate methodology. The next four sections report what is known about the major classes of inducible resistance: the penicillins and cephalosporins, the tetracyclines, the macrolide lincosamide group, and chloramphenicol. In each instance, evidence for inducibility is presented in parallel with the discussion in section one, followed by evidence for plasmid or chromosomal origins and what is known about the biochemical and genetic mechanisms of that resistance. When the evidence for the four, ostensibly different adaptations are detailed in parallel, similarities become apparent. These include the predominance of inducible over constitutive resistance in wild strains of bacteria, a qualitative and quantitative similarity in kinetics, a specificity for the active analogs of the drugs, a similarity between most chromosomal and plasmid resistances, and a separation of the mechanism of adaptation from the drug's antimicrobial activity. These similarities suggest that inducible resistance to the various drugs may be closely related and may be considered a type of rudimentary immune system. Clinical conclusions are also discussed, including the importance of a rapid loading dose when inducible resistance may be a factor and the difficulties of determining resistance with accuracy using disc techniques.