Ecology and evolution of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial communities

Accumulating evidence suggests that the response of bacteria to antibiotics is significantly affected by the presence of other interacting microbes. These interactions are not typically accounted for when determining pathogen sensitivity to antibiotics. In this perspective, we argue that resistance...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The ISME Journal 2021-04, Vol.15 (4), p.939-948
Main Authors: Bottery, Michael J., Pitchford, Jonathan W., Friman, Ville-Petri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/326/22/1290
631/326/2565/855
631/326/41/2529
Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology
Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use
Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotics
Antimicrobial agents
Antimicrobial resistance
Bacteria
Bacteria - genetics
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Drug Resistance, Bacterial
Ecology
Evolution
Evolutionary Biology
Life Sciences
Microbial Ecology
Microbial Genetics and Genomics
Microbiology
Microbiota
Microorganisms
Pathogens
Perspective
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Summary:Accumulating evidence suggests that the response of bacteria to antibiotics is significantly affected by the presence of other interacting microbes. These interactions are not typically accounted for when determining pathogen sensitivity to antibiotics. In this perspective, we argue that resistance and evolutionary responses to antibiotic treatments should not be considered only a trait of an individual bacteria species but also an emergent property of the microbial community in which pathogens are embedded. We outline how interspecies interactions can affect the responses of individual species and communities to antibiotic treatment, and how these responses could affect the strength of selection, potentially changing the trajectory of resistance evolution. Finally, we identify key areas of future research which will allow for a more complete understanding of antibiotic resistance in bacterial communities. We emphasise that acknowledging the ecological context, i.e. the interactions that occur between pathogens and within communities, could help the development of more efficient and effective antibiotic treatments.
ISSN:1751-7362
1751-7370
DOI:10.1038/s41396-020-00832-7