Antibiotic resistance gene screening

BaseClear offers a state-of-the-art antibiotic resistance gene screening service based on complete genomics analysis. Our method is much more efficient than the classical screening methods. With our unique antibiotic resistance gene screening service we use highly curated databases. This service is part of our complete package for genomics-based characterisation of microorganisms for regulatory approval.

The use of antibiotics during the last decade has led to antibiotic resistance among microorganisms, which is a growing public health concern on a global scale. The mechanisms that enable bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics are quite diverse, but the genetic basis for the antibiotic resistance can be either intrinsic, through naturally occurring antibiotic resistance genes, or acquired through transfer of genetic material (e.g. plasmids) from other bacteria in the environment.

Screening for novel antibiotic resistance genes

To minimize the risk of spreading antibiotic resistance, EFSA advises to use the least resistant organism whenever possible and that the organisms used in animal feed or used as probiotics should not add to the existent pool of antimicrobial resistance genes that are already present in the environment. Screening microorganisms for antibiotic resistance can be very laborious and time consuming. BaseClear offers a new type of antibiotic resistance gene screening based on complete genome sequencing, which is much more efficient than the classical screening methods. Using unique bioinformatics tools that are developed by our bioinformatics team, we can determine which antibiotic resistance genes are present in the microbial genome. This genome screening method can dramatically reduce the number of disk diffusion tests required.

BaseClear can provide you with information about the location of the antibiotic resistance gene (chromosome or plasmid), identification of novel antibiotic resistance genes, as well as identification of mobile genetic elements that may promote transfer of genomic regions coding for the antibiotic resistance to other organisms. Knowledge of (novel) antibiotic resistance genes helps you to understand how antibiotics function and how bacteria fight them.

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BaseClear strain characterisation

Meet Mark Bessem!

Mark’s role at BaseClear is to manage a team of bioinformaticians that analyse the NGS output and convert it to a form that can meet clients’ needs. The Bioinformatics team provides many standardised workflows that meet the requirements for the majority of the projects that BaseClear handles, and they can also work together with customers to create a customised workflow. Quality is very important to Mark: “Customers need to be confident that the results are reliable and trustworthy.”

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