Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance
09:00

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Published on: May 2, 2018

Co-resistance: an opportunity for the bacteria and resistance genes

Rafael Cantón1, Patricia Ruiz-Garbajosa

  • 1Servicio de Microbiología and CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Carretera Colmenar Km 9.1. 28034 Madrid, Spain. rcanton.hrc@salud.madrid.org

Current Opinion in Pharmacology
|August 16, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Co-resistance, where bacteria gain multiple antimicrobial resistance genes, is increasing, especially in high-risk clones. Compensatory mechanisms and co-selection mean strategies to reduce antimicrobial resistance must account for these combined resistance factors.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Co-resistance involves multiple genetic events conferring resistance to various antimicrobials.
  • Pleiotropic resistance results from a single genetic event affecting multiple antimicrobials.
  • High-risk bacterial clones increasingly exhibit co-resistance, posing a significant public health challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To differentiate between co-resistance and pleiotropic resistance mechanisms.
  • To investigate the role of compensatory events in bacterial fitness.
  • To understand the implications of co-selection on antimicrobial resistance dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of genetic mechanisms underlying co-resistance and pleiotropic resistance.
  • Investigation of bacterial fitness costs associated with co-resistance.
  • Modeling of co-selection processes under different antimicrobial usage strategies.

Main Results:

  • Co-resistance is characterized by multiple genetic loci or gene transfers, distinct from pleiotropic resistance.
  • Compensatory events can mitigate fitness costs of co-resistance, facilitating persistence.
  • Antimicrobial cycling or mixing strategies do not prevent co-selection of resistant isolates.

Conclusions:

  • Co-resistance and co-selection significantly enhance bacterial persistence and the spread of resistance genes.
  • Current antimicrobial usage strategies may inadvertently promote co-resistance.
  • Novel strategies are needed to combat antimicrobial resistance, considering co-resistance and co-selection dynamics.

More Related Videos

Monitoring Intraspecies Competition in a Bacterial Cell Population by Cocultivation of Fluorescently Labelled Strains06:45

Monitoring Intraspecies Competition in a Bacterial Cell Population by Cocultivation of Fluorescently Labelled Strains

Published on: January 18, 2014

Characterizing Multidrug Efflux Systems in Acinetobacter baumannii Using an Efflux-Deficient Bacterial Strain and a Single-Copy Gene Expression System05:06

Characterizing Multidrug Efflux Systems in Acinetobacter baumannii Using an Efflux-Deficient Bacterial Strain and a Single-Copy Gene Expression System

Published on: January 5, 2024

Related Concept Videos

Antibiotic Selection00:57

Antibiotic Selection

Overview
Development of Antibiotic Resistance01:30

Development of Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern that arises when bacteria evolve mechanisms to withstand the effects of antibiotic treatments. This resistance can be intrinsic, acquired through genetic mutations, or transferred between bacteria via horizontal gene transfer. The development of antibiotic resistance poses significant challenges in treating bacterial infections and necessitates ongoing research to develop new therapeutic strategies.Intrinsic resistance occurs when bacterial...
Bacterial Transformation01:33

Bacterial Transformation

In 1928, bacteriologist Frederick Griffith worked on a vaccine for pneumonia, which is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Griffith studied two pneumonia strains in mice: one pathogenic and one non-pathogenic. Only the pathogenic strain killed host mice.
Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...
Coordination of Gene Expression Processes in Bacteria01:29

Coordination of Gene Expression Processes in Bacteria

The DNA replication, transcription, and translation processes are intricately coupled in bacteria, allowing efficient gene expression and rapid protein synthesis. While this physical and functional coordination is advantageous, it introduces challenges that bacteria overcome through specific regulatory mechanisms.Coupling of Replication, Transcription, and TranslationThe coupling of replication, transcription, and translation is a hallmark of bacterial gene expression. As the replisome unwinds...
Conjugation01:19

Conjugation

Conjugation is a form of horizontal gene transfer that primarily occurs in bacteria and some archaea, promoting genetic diversity and adaptation. Bacteria can acquire resistance genes through conjugative plasmids, allowing them to survive antibiotic treatments that would otherwise be lethal. This process involves direct contact between cells through specialized structures such as the sex pilus and is mediated by conjugative plasmids, including the F (fertility) factor.Conjugation requires...
Transduction01:16

Transduction

Among the three main modes of HGT—transformation, conjugation, and transduction—transduction is unique in that it is mediated by bacteriophages, or bacterial viruses.Transduction occurs in two ways. Generalized transduction occurs during the lytic cycle of a bacteriophage infection. In this process, bacteriophages infect bacterial cells, replicate within them, and ultimately cause cell lysis, releasing newly assembled virions. Occasionally, random fragments of the bacterial genome are...