The evolution of colistin resistance increases bacterial resistance to host antimicrobial peptides and virulence.

ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer a promising solution to the antibiotic resistance crisis. However, an unresolved serious concern is that the evolution of resistance to therapeutic AMPs may generate cross-resistance to host AMPs, compromising a cornerstone of the innate immune response. We systematically tested this hypothesis using globally disseminated mobile colistin resistance (MCR) that has been selected by the use of colistin in agriculture and medicine. Here, we show that MCR provides a selective advantage to Escherichia coli in the presence of key AMPs from humans and agricultural animals by increasing AMP resistance. Moreover, MCR promotes bacterial growth in human serum and increases virulence in a Galleria mellonella infection model. Our study shows how the anth

SUBMITTER: Jangir PK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10129329 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature