Wet-dry cycles protect surface-colonizing bacteria from major antibiotic classes.

ABSTRACT: Diverse antibiotic compounds are abundant in microbial habitats undergoing recurrent wet-dry cycles, such as soil, root and leaf surfaces, and the built environment. These antibiotics play a central role in microbial warfare and competition, thus affecting population dynamics and the composition of natural microbial communities. Yet, the impact of wet-dry cycles on bacterial response to antibiotics has been scarcely explored. Using the bacterium E. coli as a model organism, we show through a combination of experiments and computational modeling, that wet-dry cycles protect bacteria from beta-lactams. This is due to the combined effect of several mechanisms including tolerance induced by high salt concentrations and slow cell-growth, which are inherently associated with microscopic surface

SUBMITTER: Beizman-Magen Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8692528 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature