Phage predation accelerates the spread of plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance.

ABSTRACT: Phage predation is generally assumed to reduce microbial proliferation while not contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance. However, this assumption does not consider the effect of phage predation on the spatial organization of different microbial populations. Here, we show that phage predation can increase the spread of plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance during surface-associated microbial growth by reshaping spatial organization. Using two strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli, we demonstrate that phage predation slows the spatial segregation of the strains during growth. This increases the number of cell-cell contacts and the extent of conjugation-mediated plasmid transfer between them. The underlying mechanism is that phage predation shifts the location of fastest grow

SUBMITTER: Ruan C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11208555 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature