Genetic Methods for Assessing Antimicrobial Resistance

Over the past 2 decades, antimicrobics have become increasingly available for a broad range of pathogens. Due to the widespread use of these drugs, new forms of antimicrobial resistance have emerged. Detection of this resistance by conventional methods may not always be easy or possible. The genetics of antimicrobial resistance has been elucidated completely or in part for many organism-antimicrobial agent combinations. As a result, genetic methods for assessing antimicrobial resistance have been developed, and many of these are being used or soon will become part of the standard testing menus in clinical microbiology laboratories. The intent of this review is to describe the principles and applications of the more frequently reported genetic methods for evaluating antimicrobial resistance.