Bacterial strains immune to the inhibitory effect of antibiotics pose a global challenge to the prospect of chemotherapy. Occurrence of resistance against all the therapeutically useful antibiotics has been evidenced so far both in pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria. The ability of bacteria to transfer resistance genes to antibiotic-sensitive bacteria using various mechanisms has exacerbated the problem. It is apprehended by some investigators that resistance genes are circulating in the environment through food materials. Imprudent use of antibiotics has, no doubt, contributed to the complexity of the problem. Increase in the frequency of resistance to certain antibiotics has been found to be correlated with increase in their use. However, antibiotic resistance is an outcome of evolution and exposure to antibiotics is not a prerequisite for the emergence of resistance in bacteria. Resistance genes are detected even in bacteria (or in bacterial DNA) obtained from places detached from the human civilization for thousands of years. Recent evidences indicate that both antibiotic biosynthetic genes and resistance conferring genes evolved millions of years ago while antibiotics were introduced into the clinical practice only in the middle of the last century. Hence, both antibiotic biosynthesis and antibiotic resistance must have some evolutionary implication, which is escaping our attention because of our overemphasis on the impact of antibiotic resistance on therapeutics. Discussion on the various aspects of antibiotic resistance promises insight into the intricacies of the cellular machinery of bacteria and also some clues to the solution.

We would like to invite researchers to submit original research articles and reviews on antibiotic resistance of bacteria. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Epidemiology of resistance
• Biochemical and genetic basis of resistance
• Dissemination of resistance genes by various means
• Role of antibiotics used as feed additives in emergence of resistant strains
• Antibiotic resistance in antibiotic-producer and nonproducer bacteria
• Role of antibiotic resistance in nature
• Remedial measures
• Molecular basis of antibiotic stress resistance acquisition vis-a-vis transfer of resistance genes
• Role of diagnostics and novel therapeutic approaches to curb the menace of antibiotic resistance transfer
• Evolutionary basis of antibiotic resistance
• Evaluation of possible targets to inhibit antibiotic resistance transfer mechanisms

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal’s Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/bmri/microbiology/arb/ according to the following timetable: