Multidrug transporters in lactic acid bacteria

Gram-positive lactic acid bacteria possess several Multi-Drug Resistance systems (MDRs) that excrete out of the cell a wide variety of mainly cationic lipophilic cytotoxic compounds as well as many clinically relevant antibiotics. These MDRs are either proton/drug antiporters belonging to the major facilitator superfamily of secondary transporters or ATP-dependent primary transporters belonging to the ATP-binding cassette superfamily of transport proteins. Here we summarize the existing data on these MDRs and discuss recent observations that suggest the use of new strategies in the ongoing battle against drug-resistant microbial pathogens.