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The effects of antibiotics on resistance evolution are well known, but the influence of microbial interactions on resistance within communities remains unclear. We demonstrate a correlation between the presence of the bacterial predator Myxococcus xanthus in soil and the abundance of antibiotic resistance. This occurs because cell death, a key aspect of the M. xanthus life cycle, releases diffusible growth-inhibitory molecules into the environment. These molecules, in turn, drive the enrichment of resistance in natural soil communities. Our work highlights the complex dynamics of resistance evolution, emphasising the role of interspecies interactions in shaping resistance profiles in pristine environments.
Samay Pande is an Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Science. He did his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany, and has Postdoctoral training from ETH Zurich. One of the key areas of research in his laboratory is to understand how microbial interactions influence the evolution and maintenance of antibiotic resistance in natural microbial communities.
