Combination therapy delays antimicrobial resistance after adaptive laboratory evolution of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>.

ABSTRACT: Antibiotic resistance, driven by misuse and overuse of antibiotics, is one of the greatest threats against human health. The antimicrobial pressure during prolonged antibiotic treatment of chronic bacterial infections selects for resistance. While antibiotic combinations may reduce resistance emergence, antibiotic-tolerant persister cells can serve as a reservoir for resistance development. Therefore, targeting these cells with anti-persister drugs might provide a novel strategy for resistance prevention. In this study, we conducted 42 days of adaptive laboratory evolution using Staphylococcus aureus exposed to rifampicin, ciprofloxacin, daptomycin, and vancomycin, alone or in combination with the anti-persister drug mitomycin C. We monitored antibiotic susceptibility daily and asse

SUBMITTER: Petersen ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11963546 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature