The threat of antimicrobial resistance to medication is a global health issue. Recent years have seen a surge in our awareness of resistance genes; and as a result of the prevalence of these genes, antibiotics are becoming less effective at treating microbial infections, such as TB and gonorrhoea.
Although much work has been done analysing the human gut microbiome and its associated genes, little is currently known about these genes in the mouth.
In a paper published today in Nature Communications, academics from King’s College London have taken the first step to examine the antimicrobial resistance potential of the mouth — the oral resistome. As the mouth is the first point of entry for food and many medications, it has the potential to influence the spread of antimicrobial resistance in the human microbiome. Antimicrobial resistance arises when the microbe acquires genes that attempt to avoid or destroy the drugs.
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