Israeli researchers have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that allows bacteria to rapidly develop antibiotic resistance, the Israel Institute of Technology said in a statement on Monday.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Microbiology , could pave the way for new treatments that increase the effectiveness of antibiotics and help slow the spread of drug-resistant infections, the statement said.
Through this mechanism, bacteria can increase the number of copies of certain genes, thereby helping the bacteria survive when exposed to antibiotics.
The research team identified the mechanism using AmpliFinder, a computational tool developed by the team to analyze more than 10,000 samples of bacteria evolving in the laboratory.
The study found that bacteria can make dozens of copies of resistance-related genes through a unique form of DNA amplification, allowing them to rapidly adapt to antibiotic treatment.
This process has been observed in two bacterial species, Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii . This process helps the bacteria survive at higher antibiotic concentrations.
