A Paradigm Shift in Multidrug Resistance

August 20, 2015


Michael Mahan discovers an unexpected resistance mechanism in pathogenic bacteria that may warrant changes in the way antibiotics are developed, tested and prescribed.


Mahan’s research demonstrates two important points: Bacteria become resistant only to certain antibiotics, and they deploy this defense mechanism only in certain areas of the body. This means that when a patient fails to respond to a particular course of antibiotics that lab tests predict should be effective, rather than increasing the dose or duration of treatment, a potentially more effective therapeutic option is simply to prescribe another drug.