Abstract
Streptococci are a group of Gram-positive bacteria belonging to the family Streptococcaceae, which are responsible of multiple diseases. Some of these species can cause invasive infection that may result in life-threatening illness. Moreover, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are considerably increasing, thus imposing a global consideration. One of the main causes of this resistance is the horizontal gene transfer (HGT), associated to gene transfer agents including transposons, integrons, plasmids and bacteriophages. These agents, which are called mobile genetic elements (MGEs), encode proteins able to mediate DNA movements. This review briefly describes MGEs in streptococci, focusing on their structure and properties related to HGT and antibiotic resistance.
MeSH terms
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Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
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Bacterial Proteins / genetics*
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Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
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Conjugation, Genetic
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Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / genetics*
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Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial*
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Gene Transfer, Horizontal
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Genome, Bacterial
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Host-Pathogen Interactions / genetics
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Humans
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Interspersed Repetitive Sequences*
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Streptococcal Infections / drug therapy
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Streptococcal Infections / microbiology
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Streptococcal Infections / pathology
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Streptococcus pneumoniae / drug effects
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Streptococcus pneumoniae / genetics*
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Streptococcus pneumoniae / metabolism
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Streptococcus pneumoniae / pathogenicity
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Streptococcus pyogenes / drug effects
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Streptococcus pyogenes / genetics*
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Streptococcus pyogenes / metabolism
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Streptococcus pyogenes / pathogenicity
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Transformation, Bacterial
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Virulence
Substances
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Anti-Bacterial Agents
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Bacterial Proteins