Bacteria under antibiotic attack: Different strategies for evolutionary adaptation

Open access
Date
2020-05Type
- Journal Article
Citations
Cited 11 times in
Web of Science
Cited 11 times in
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ETH Bibliography
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Abstract
Bacteria are well known for their extremely high adaptability in stressful environments. The clinical relevance of this property is clearly illustrated by the ever-decreasing efficacy of antibiotic therapies. Frequent exposures to antibiotics favor bacterial strains that have acquired mechanisms to overcome drug inhibition and lethality. Many strains, including life-threatening pathogens, exhibit increased antibiotic resistance or tolerance, which considerably complicates clinical practice. Alarmingly, recent studies show that in addition to resistance, tolerance levels of bacterial populations are extremely flexible in an evolutionary context. Here, we summarize laboratory studies providing insight in the evolution of resistance and tolerance and shed light on how the treatment conditions could affect the direction of bacterial evolution under antibiotic stress. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000473716Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
PLoS PathogensVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)More
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Citations
Cited 11 times in
Web of Science
Cited 11 times in
Scopus
ETH Bibliography
no
Altmetrics