A plasmid with the <i>bla</i> _CTX-M gene enhances the fitness of <i>Escherichia coli</i> strains under laboratory conditions.

ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to global public health that continues to grow owing to selective pressure caused by the use and overuse of antimicrobial drugs. Resistance spread by plasmids is of special concern, as they can mediate a wide distribution of AMR genes, including those encoding extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs). The CTX-M family of ESBLs has rapidly spread worldwide, playing a large role in the declining effectiveness of third-generation cephalosporins. This rapid spread across the planet is puzzling given that plasmids carrying AMR genes have been hypothesized to incur a fitness cost to their hosts in the absence of antibiotics. Here, we focus on a WT plasmid that carries the bla _{CTX-M 55} ESBL gene. We examine its conjugation ra

SUBMITTER: Lopez L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11781320 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature