Evolutionary pathways to antibiotic resistance are dependent upon environmental structure and bacterial lifestyle.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial populations vary in their stress tolerance and population structure depending upon whether growth occurs in well-mixed or structured environments. We hypothesized that evolution in biofilms would generate greater genetic diversity than well-mixed environments and lead to different pathways of antibiotic resistance. We used experimental evolution and whole genome sequencing to test how the biofilm lifestyle influenced the rate, genetic mechanisms, and pleiotropic effects of resistance to ciprofloxacin in Acinetobacter baumannii populations. Both evolutionary dynamics and the identities of mutations differed between lifestyle. Planktonic populations experienced selective sweeps of mutations including the primary topoisomerase drug targets, whereas biofilm-adapted populations

SUBMITTER: Santos-Lopez A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6814407 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature