Selection of resistant bacteria at very low antibiotic concentrations.
Erik Gullberg,Sha Cao,Otto G. Berg,Carolina Ilbäck,Linus Sandegren,Diarmaid Hughes,Dan I. Andersson +6 more
TLDR
It is suggested that the low antibiotic concentrations found in many natural environments are important for enrichment and maintenance of resistance in bacterial populations.Abstract:
The widespread use of antibiotics is selecting for a variety of resistance mechanisms that seriously challenge our ability to treat bacterial infections. Resistant bacteria can be selected at the high concentrations of antibiotics used therapeutically, but what role the much lower antibiotic concentrations present in many environments plays in selection remains largely unclear. Here we show using highly sensitive competition experiments that selection of resistant bacteria occurs at extremely low antibiotic concentrations. Thus, for three clinically important antibiotics, drug concentrations up to several hundred-fold below the minimal inhibitory concentration of susceptible bacteria could enrich for resistant bacteria, even when present at a very low initial fraction. We also show that de novo mutants can be selected at sub-MIC concentrations of antibiotics, and we provide a mathematical model predicting how rapidly such mutants would take over in a susceptible population. These results add another dimension to the evolution of resistance and suggest that the low antibiotic concentrations found in many natural environments are important for enrichment and maintenance of resistance in bacterial populations.read more
Citations
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Urban wastewater treatment plants as hotspots for the release of antibiotics in the environment: a review
I. Michael,Luigi Rizzo,Christa S. McArdell,Célia M. Manaia,Christophe Merlin,Thomas Schwartz,Christophe Dagot,Despo Fatta-Kassinos +7 more
TL;DR: The aim of the present paper is to critically review the fate and removal of various antibiotics in wastewater treatment, focusing on different processes (i.e. biological processes, advanced treatment technologies and disinfection) in view of the current concerns related to the induction of toxic effects in aquatic and terrestrial organisms.
Journal ArticleDOI
Tackling antibiotic resistance: the environmental framework
Thomas U. Berendonk,Célia M. Manaia,Christophe Merlin,Despo Fatta-Kassinos,Eddie Cytryn,Fiona Walsh,Helmut Bürgmann,Henning Sørum,Madelaine Norström,Marie-Noëlle Pons,Norbert Kreuzinger,Pentti Huovinen,Stefania Stefani,Thomas Schwartz,Veljo Kisand,Fernando Baquero,José L. Martínez +16 more
TL;DR: The main knowledge gaps, the future research needs and the policy and management options that should be prioritized to tackle antibiotic resistance in the environment are discussed.
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Microbiological effects of sublethal levels of antibiotics
Dan I. Andersson,Diarmaid Hughes +1 more
TL;DR: The ecology of antibiotics and the ability of subinhibitory concentrations to select for bacterial resistance are discussed and the effects of low-level drug exposure on bacterial physiology are considered, including the generation of genetic and phenotypic variability, as well as the able of antibiotics to function as signalling molecules.
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The role of the natural environment in the emergence of antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria
Elizabeth M. H. Wellington,Alistair B.A. Boxall,Paul C. Cross,Edward J. Feil,William H. Gaze,Peter M. Hawkey,Peter M. Hawkey,Ashley S. Johnson-Rollings,Davey L. Jones,Nick Lee,Wilfred Otten,Christopher M. Thomas,A. Prysor Williams +12 more
TL;DR: Although the economics of the pharmaceutical industry continue to restrict investment in novel biomedical responses, action must be taken to avoid the conjunction of factors that promote evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance.
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Biofilm-Related Infections: Bridging the Gap between Clinical Management and Fundamental Aspects of Recalcitrance toward Antibiotics
TL;DR: This review presents the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms of biofilm recalcitrance toward antibiotics and describes how recent progress has improved the capacity to design original and efficient strategies to prevent or eradicate biofilm-related infections.
References
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TL;DR: It is concluded that even though antibiotics are tightly adsorbed by clay particles, they are still biologically active and may influence the selection of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the terrestrial environment.