Could antibiotics be multifunctional and benefit kin while also harming foe? When assessing the long-term fates of resistant and susceptible bacterial subpopulations, we must account not only for evolution that overcomes reductions in growth rate, but also assess how resistance and susceptibility mediate population longevity. A better understanding is needed of the complete range of environmental and ecological mechanisms that maintain resistance. Using long-term assays, this study takes a different approach to show that some antibiotic classes can benefit bacterial lifestyles in multiple ways. 

Emily Wood, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, United Kingdom
Robert Beardmore, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, United Kingdom

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
September 26, 2023