Mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in biofilms.

Most bacteria in nature exist in aggregated communities known as biofilms, and cells within a biofilm demonstrate major physiological changes compared to their planktonic counterparts. Biofilms are associated with many different types of infections which can have severe impacts on patients. Infections involving a biofilm component are often chronic and highly recalcitrant to antibiotic therapy as a result of intrinsic physical factors including extracellular matrix production, low growth rates, altered antibiotic target production and efficient exchange of resistance genes.

HIV Drugs Inhibit Transfer of Plasmids Carrying Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase and Carbapenemase Genes.

Antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections pose a serious risk to human and animal health. A major factor contributing to this global crisis is the sharing of resistance genes between different bacteria via plasmids. The WHO lists , such as and , producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) and carbapenemases as "critical" priorities for new drug development.