Evolutionary loss of an antibiotic efflux pump increases Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing mediated virulence in vivo.

ABSTRACT: Antibiotic resistance is a threat to human health, yet recent work highlights how loss of resistance may drive pathogenesis in some bacteria. In two recent studies, we found that β-lactam antibiotics and nutrient stresses faced during infection selected for genetic inactivation of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa antibiotic efflux pump mexEFoprN. Unexpectedly, efflux pump mutations increased P. aeruginosa virulence during infection; however, neither the prevalence of mexEFoprN inactivating mutations in real human infections, nor the mechanisms driving increased virulence of efflux pump mutants are known. We hypothesized that human infection would select for virulence enhancing mutations. Using genome sequencing of clinical isolates, we show that mexEFoprN efflux pump inactivating mutations are e

SUBMITTER: Fernandes SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12462495 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature