Growth-dependent bacterial susceptibility to ribosome-targeting antibiotics.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial growth environment strongly influences the efficacy of antibiotic treatment, with slow growth often being associated with decreased susceptibility. Yet in many cases, the connection between antibiotic susceptibility and pathogen physiology remains unclear. We show that for ribosome-targeting antibiotics acting on Escherichia coli, a complex interplay exists between physiology and antibiotic action; for some antibiotics within this class, faster growth indeed increases susceptibility, but for other antibiotics, the opposite is true. Remarkably, these observations can be explained by a simple mathematical model that combines drug transport and binding with physiological constraints. Our model reveals that growth-dependent susceptibility is controlled by a single parameter character

SUBMITTER: Greulich P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4380930 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature