Dangerous liaisons: bacterial ‘sex’ causes antibiotic resistance

Dangerous liaisons: bacterial ?sex? causes antibiotic resistance. Pneumococci with DNA from other species are more resistant to antibiotics, says study - %0A " - Imperial College London News Release Under strict embargo for - 19.00 hours British Summer Time - (14.00 hours US Eastern Time) - Thursday 11 June 2009 Some disease-causing bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics because they have peculiar sex lives, say researchers publishing new results today in the journal . The new study helps scientists understand how bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, which is a major challenge for those treating infectious diseases, say the authors from Imperial College London. ), which cause diseases including pneumonia and bacterial meningitis. Pneumococcal infections cause approximately one million deaths every year globally and the bacteria are becoming resistant to many antibiotics, making treatment increasingly difficult. The scientists behind today's study believe this resistance is due to the pneumococcal bacteria adapting by occasionally picking up DNA from other bacteria, even from other species. Dr William Hanage , the lead author of the study from Imperial College London, said: "Bacteria have very peculiar sex lives.