Bottleneck size and selection level reproducibly impact evolution of antibiotic resistance.

ABSTRACT: During antibiotic treatment, the evolution of bacterial pathogens is fundamentally affected by bottlenecks and varying selection levels imposed by the drugs. Bottlenecks-that is, reductions in bacterial population size-lead to an increased influence of random effects (genetic drift) during bacterial evolution, and varying antibiotic concentrations during treatment may favour distinct resistance variants. Both aspects influence the process of bacterial evolution during antibiotic therapy and thereby treatment outcome. Surprisingly, the joint influence of these interconnected factors on the evolution of antibiotic resistance remains largely unexplored. Here we combine evolution experiments with genomic and genetic analyses to demonstrate that bottleneck size and antibiotic-induced selection

SUBMITTER: Mahrt N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8390372 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature