Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB)

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are microorganisms that have evolved or acquired mechanisms to survive and proliferate despite the presence of antimicrobial agents that were previously effective against them. These mechanisms include the production of neutralizing enzymes like beta-lactamases, the modification of drug target sites such as penicillin-binding proteins or ribosomal subunits, and the use of efflux pumps to actively remove drugs from the bacterial cell (CDC, 2022; NIH, 2021). This phenomenon is not a single molecular target but rather a broad clinical category of pathogens that pose a significant threat to global public health by rendering standard treatments ineffective. Common examples include Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), and Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) (WHO, 2023). Infections caused by these resistant strains often lead to increased morbidity, prolonged hospital stays, and higher mortality rates compared to susceptible infections. Therapeutic intervention requires the use of 'last-resort' antibiotics, combination therapies, or novel agents designed to bypass or inhibit specific resistance mechanisms, such as beta-lactamase inhibitors (StatPearls, 2023). Because 'Antibiotic-resistant bacteria' refers to a diverse group of organisms rather than a specific protein or receptor, it is classified as a pathogen category rather than a discrete therapeutic target in drug discovery (PubMed, 2022).

Other names

Antimicrobial-resistant bacteriaSuperbugsMultidrug-resistant bacteriaMDR bacteriaDrug-resistant pathogens

Drugs targeting these bacteria typically act by inhibiting cell wall synthesis, disrupting protein synthesis at the 30S or 50S ribosomal subunits, inhibiting nucleic acid replication (DNA gyrase/topoisomerase), or damaging the bacterial cell membrane integrity.