The emergence of antibiotic resistance

So how old is resistance? In this video Dr David Jenkins explains.

You can find links to the references that Dr Jenkins mentions at the bottom of this page in the ‘See Also’ section.

A recent paper by Santiago-Rodriguez et al published in 2015 “Gut Microbiome of an 11th Century A.D. Pre – Columbian Andean Mummy” is also included as evidence that bacterial resistance is an ancient phenomenon:

“Identification of putative antibiotic-resistance genes indicates their pre-existence in the human gut prior the introduction of antibiotics. Identification of pathogens and antibiotic-resistance genes in ancient human specimens will aid in the under- standing of the evolution of pathogens as a way to treat and prevent diseases caused by bacteria, microbial eukaryotes and viruses.”