A previously unknown type of antibiotic resistance has been found to be much more widespread than previously thought.

Antibiotic resistance is a major global health threat, as it limits the effectiveness of antibiotics, which can make it hard to treat infections. Until now, it was thought that most antibiotic resistance was caused by bacteria that had acquired mutations that allowed them to resist the effects of antibiotics.

But now, researchers from the University of Illinois have discovered that an entirely new type of antibiotic resistance exists. This new type of resistance is caused by bacteria that swap genetic material with one another, which allows them to gain new genetic traits, including the ability to resist antibiotics. This process, known as horizontal gene transfer, has been found to be much more widespread than originally thought.

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source: Phys.org