Re-evaluating the efficacy of aminoglycosides and understanding the function of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes in Clostridioides difficile

Some bacteria naturally resist antibiotics without the need to mutate or to acquire antibiotic resistance genes. However, some of these bacteria carry resistance genes to the antibiotics they are naturally resistant to. Little is known about the function of these genes in antibiotic resistance in these bacteria. In this thesis, we show that under physiological conditions a bacterium can be unexpectedly sensitive to antibiotics and that antibiotic resistance genes then do protect against these antibiotics. This work may provide evidence to extend the use of our ever-diminishing toolbox of antibiotics in the fight against infectious diseases.