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The Conversation
The Conversation
Abdullahi Tunde Aborode, Mississippi State University

Fighting antibiotic resistance at the source – using machine learning to identify bacterial resistance genes and the drugs to block them

Current methods of identifying resistance mutations in microbes can miss other ways resistance can develop. koto_feja/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health problem around the world. When bacteria like E. coli no longer respond to antibiotics, infections become harder to treat.

To develop new antibiotics, researchers typically identify the genes that make bacteria resistant. Through laboratory experiments, they observe how bacteria respond to different antibiotics and look for mutations in the genetic makeup of resistant strains that allow them to survive.

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