ARS Researchers Develop DNA Chip to Monitor Antibiotic Resistance

November 18, 2005 — 

Researchers from the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Athens, GA have developed a DNA microarray to detect antimicrobial-resistance genes in bacterial samples.

ARS microbiologists Jonathan Frye, Charlene Jackson, Mark Englen, and Paula Cray at the Bacterial Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit utilize the technology to evaluate samples collected on the farm and in slaughter facilities for the presence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. The microarray, which can detect more than 100 antimicrobial-resistance genes, allows researchers to determine specifically which genes are responsible for resistance in the particular samples being examined. Previously, bacteria would have to be grown on culture plates impregnated with antibiotics. Those bacteria that survived were resistant to the antimicrobial. Researchers would then have to search for which genes might be contributing to the resistance. The microarray allows users to search for many genes at once, exposing those most likely responsible for resistance in a particular sample. This will aid researchers in determining the source of the potential resistance and direct the initiation of effective and economical intervention strategies.

Source: ARS Agriculture Research magazine: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/nov05/dna1105.htm