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Updated: Jul 26, 2025
Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance
Published on: May 2, 2018
Timing of antibiotic administration determines the spread of plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance during microbial
Yinyin Ma1,2, Josep Ramoneda3,4, David R Johnson5,6
1Department of Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland. yinyin.ma@eawag.ch.
Abstract:
Plasmids are the main vector by which antibiotic resistance is transferred between bacterial cells within surface-associated communities. In this study, we ask whether there is an optimal time to administer antibiotics to minimize plasmid spread in new bacterial genotypes during community expansion across surfaces. We address this question using consortia of Pseudomonas stutzeri strains, where one is an antibiotic resistance-encoding plasmid donor and the other a potential recipient. We allowed the strains to co-expand across a surface and administered antibiotics at different times. We find that plasmid transfer and transconjugant proliferation have unimodal relationships with the timing of antibiotic administration, where they reach maxima at intermediate times. These unimodal relationships result from the interplay between the probabilities of plasmid transfer and loss. Our study provides mechanistic insights into the transfer and proliferation of antibiotic resistance-encoding plasmids within microbial communities and identifies the timing of antibiotic administration as an important determinant.
Insights
Administering antibiotics at intermediate times during bacterial community expansion can minimize the spread of antibiotic resistance plasmids. This timing balances plasmid transfer and loss probabilities for optimal control.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Antimicrobial Resistance
Background:
- Plasmids are key vectors for antibiotic resistance gene transfer in bacterial communities.
- Understanding plasmid dynamics is crucial for combating antimicrobial resistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if there's an optimal time to administer antibiotics to limit plasmid spread during bacterial community expansion.
- To investigate the relationship between antibiotic administration timing and plasmid transfer/proliferation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized consortia of Pseudomonas stutzeri strains (donor and recipient).
- Allowed co-expansion across surfaces with varied antibiotic administration timings.
- Analyzed plasmid transfer and transconjugant proliferation rates.
Main Results:
- Plasmid transfer and transconjugant proliferation showed unimodal relationships with antibiotic timing.
- Maxima for transfer and proliferation occurred at intermediate antibiotic administration times.
- These patterns are driven by the interplay of plasmid transfer and loss probabilities.
Conclusions:
- Antibiotic administration timing significantly impacts plasmid spread in bacterial communities.
- Intermediate timing can be optimal for minimizing plasmid transfer and proliferation.
- Mechanistic insights into plasmid dynamics can inform strategies against antimicrobial resistance.
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