H.L. GEORGE AND P. KULKARNI
Abstract
Like a roll of dice, unraveling the antimicrobial resistance to ESKAPE pathogens against various drugs is a perilous challenge in coeval healthcare due to their swift acquisition of resistant genes and drastic spreading of antimicrobial resistance. These pathogens manifest both innate and adopted resistance machineries against manifold antibiotic categories, consisting of ?-lactams, glycopeptides, fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, macrolides, and salvage therapy agents - linezolid and colistin. The machineries underlying resistance include enzymatic drug alteration, as seen with ?-lactamases, aminoglycoside-altering or methylating enzymes, carbapenemase, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase; biofilm formation, target site mutations, resistance determinants lateral gene transfer, and overexpression of efflux pumping. The frequency of incidence of multidrug-resistant strains as well as extensively drug resistant, and also pan-drug-resistant strains appreciably intricates infection management, and furthermore pitches into amplified morbidity, mortality, and ultimately affects global healthcare expenditures. This overview provides an ample review of the antimicrobial resistance contours, elementary molecular mechanisms, and clinical consequences of ESKAPE pathogens, accentuating emerging waves and potential approaches to counter these menacible nosocomial pathogens.