The free availability of online software to undertake
molecular evolutionary analysis coupled with the free availability of large
amounts of sequence data has made the analysis of the spread of antibiotic
resistance determinants amenable in an educational context. Software such as
ACT (Artemis Comparison Tool) [1] can be utilised to extract useful
evolutionary information from sequence databases with a focus on the dissemination
of antibiotic resistance determinants. The utility of this resource is
illustrated here using the SXT/R391 family of Integrating Conjugative Elements
(ICE). These ICE’s contain multiple antibiotic resistance determinants [2].
Using a stepwise tutorial with ACT, the elements are examined showing the
utility of this software for such analysis in an evolutionary context. These
examples are aimed at demonstrating the utility of the software for
undergraduate and early postgraduate students.