Adaptation at different points along antibiotic concentration gradients

article Adaptation at different points along antibiotic concentration gradients published yes Mato Lagator author 345D25EC-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87 Hildegard Uecker author 2DB8F68A-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0001-9435-2813 Paul Neve author NiBa department Limits to selection in biology and in evolutionary computation project Antibiotic concentrations vary dramatically in the body and the environment. Hence, understanding the dynamics of resistance evolution along antibiotic concentration gradients is critical for predicting and slowing the emergence and spread of resistance. While it has been shown that increasing the concentration of an antibiotic slows resistance evolution, how adaptation to one antibiotic concentration correlates with fitness at other points along the gradient has not received much attention. Here, we selected populations of Escherichia coli at several points along a concentration gradient for three different antibiotics, asking how rapidly resistance evolved and whether populations became specialized to the antibiotic concentration they were selected on. Populations selected at higher concentrations evolved resistance more slowly but exhibited equal or higher fitness across the whole gradient. Populations selected at lower concentrations evolved resistance rapidly, but overall fitness in the presence of antibiotics was lower. However, these populations readily adapted to higher concentrations upon subsequent selection. Our results indicate that resistance management strategies must account not only for the rates of resistance evolution but also for the fitness of evolved strains. https://research-explorer.ista.ac.at/download/9410/9425/2021_BiologyLetters_Lagator.pdf application/pdfno https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Royal Society of London2021 eng Biology letters 1744-957X 33975485 00065150140000110.1098/rsbl.2020.0913 175 M. Lagator, H. Uecker, and P. Neve, “Adaptation at different points along antibiotic concentration gradients,” Biology letters, vol. 17, no. 5. Royal Society of London, 2021. Lagator M, Uecker H, Neve P. Adaptation at different points along antibiotic concentration gradients. Biology letters. 2021;17(5). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0913">10.1098/rsbl.2020.0913</a> Lagator, Mato, Hildegard Uecker, and Paul Neve. “Adaptation at Different Points along Antibiotic Concentration Gradients.” Biology Letters. Royal Society of London, 2021. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0913">https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0913</a>. Lagator, M., Uecker, H., & Neve, P. (2021). Adaptation at different points along antibiotic concentration gradients. Biology Letters. Royal Society of London. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0913">https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0913</a> M. Lagator, H. Uecker, P. Neve, Biology Letters 17 (2021). Lagator M, Uecker H, Neve P. 2021. Adaptation at different points along antibiotic concentration gradients. Biology letters. 17(5), 20200913. Lagator, Mato, et al. “Adaptation at Different Points along Antibiotic Concentration Gradients.” Biology Letters, vol. 17, no. 5, 20200913, Royal Society of London, 2021, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0913">10.1098/rsbl.2020.0913</a>. 94102021-05-23T22:01:43Z2026-04-02T14:02:44Z