The Role of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Fitness Cost of Multiresistance Plasmids.

ABSTRACT: By providing the bacterial cell with protection against several antibiotics at once, multiresistance plasmids have an evolutionary advantage in situations where antibiotic treatments are common, such as in hospital environments. However, resistance plasmids can also impose fitness costs on the bacterium in the absence of antibiotics, something that may limit their evolutionary success. The underlying mechanisms and the possible contribution of resistance genes to such costs are still largely not understood. Here, we have specifically investigated the contribution of plasmid-borne resistance genes to the reduced fitness of the bacterial cell. The pUUH239.2 plasmid carries 13 genes linked to antibiotic resistance and reduces bacterial fitness by 2.9% per generation. This cost is fully amelio

SUBMITTER: Rajer F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8764527 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature