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Mutator bacteria as a risk factor in treatment of infectious diseases

Antoine Giraud1, Ivan Matic, Miroslav Radman

  • 1UEPSD-FBI, Bat 440-CRJ-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
|February 19, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Some antibiotics promote antibiotic resistance by selecting for mutator alleles, which increase mutation rates. This can lead to treatment failure in subsequent antibiotic therapies, impacting drug efficacy.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health threat.
  • Antibiotic treatments can directly select for resistant bacterial strains.
  • The impact of antibiotics on bacterial mutation rates is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether antibiotic treatments select for mutator alleles in bacteria.
  • To determine the consequences of mutator allele selection on subsequent antibiotic treatment outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a gnotobiotic mouse model.
  • Administered specific antibiotic treatments.
  • Assessed bacterial populations for resistance and mutation rates.

Main Results:

  • Certain antibiotic treatments selected for mutator alleles in addition to direct resistance.
  • Mutator alleles significantly increased bacterial mutation rates.
  • Initial treatment failures due to mutator alleles enhanced subsequent treatment failures with different antibiotics.

Conclusions:

  • Antibiotic-induced selection of mutator alleles is a mechanism contributing to treatment failure.
  • This phenomenon can compromise the effectiveness of sequential antibiotic therapies.
  • Understanding this interaction is crucial for developing effective antimicrobial strategies.

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