Mechanisms of Antimicrobial Peptide Resistance in Gram-Negative Bacteria

Victor I Band; David S Weiss

doi:10.3390/antibiotics4010018

Mechanisms of Antimicrobial Peptide Resistance in Gram-Negative Bacteria

Antibiotics (Basel). 2015 Mar;4(1):18-41. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics4010018.

Authors

Victor I Band¹, David S Weiss²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA ; Yerkes Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA ; Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
² Yerkes Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA ; Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA ; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.

Abstract

Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) are important innate immune defenses that inhibit colonization by pathogens and contribute to clearance of infections. Gram-negative bacterial pathogens are a major target, yet many of them have evolved mechanisms to resist these antimicrobials. These resistance mechanisms can be critical contributors to bacterial virulence and are often crucial for survival within the host. Here, we summarize methods used by Gram-negative bacteria to resist CAMPs. Understanding these mechanisms may lead to new therapeutic strategies against pathogens with extensive CAMP resistance.

Keywords: AMP; CAMP; Gram-negative; antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial peptide.

Grants and funding

R33 AI098800/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States