Evolving antibiotic resistance

Microbiology Resistance to antibiotics is a serious threat to human health. But how do bacteria become resistant to treatment? Accumulating evidence suggests that bacteria evolve resistance by sharing genetic elements that encode genes that confer antibiotic resistance within and between populations. In a Perspective, MacLean and Millan discuss how these genetic elements arise, how they are passed between bacteria, and what can be done to prevent their dispersal so that resistance traits can be prevented from spreading. Science , this issue p. [1082][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aax3879