Beta-Lactamases: An Overview

In this compilation, the authors describe the occurrence and characteristics of ESBL/AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae in poultry, cattle and pigs, pointing to risk factors that lead to their spread and highlighting possible mitigation strategies that could be applied to reduce their prevalence in food-producing animals. One review focuses on the wide array of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms that have been described in A. baumannii. The most concerning ones being the β-lactamases with carbapenemase activity, i.e, Ambler class-D serine oxacillinases and Ambler class-B metallo-β-lactamases.The closing study will walk readers through the discovery and golden age of β-lactam, its mechanism of action as broad-spectrum antibiotic, the expansion of beta-lactam derivatives and β-lactamase inhibitors to antibiotic resistance in β-lactams.