About this Research Topic
Clinically antibiotic susceptibility testing is mainly focused on minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) based susceptible and resistant classification. This testing ignores possible emergence of pathogen adaptations to antibiotics, which does not significantly increase the MIC of the strain but enhances antibiotic tolerance or persistence. Pathogens evolve under host and antibiotic stresses and genetic variants emerge which interact differently with the environment. This results in differences in population adaptations to antibiotics even among clinically susceptible isolates. This in turn influences the population evolutionary trajectory for antibiotic tolerance or persistence and finally leading to the emergence of resistance. Identifying such population adaptations in bacteria is important for improving antibiotic susceptibility testing, preventing the relapse of infection and the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, it can help us to identify antibiotic potentiators or new drug targets for effective killing of bacterial population.
The goal of this research topic is to address the limitation in the understanding of bacterial population dynamics to antibiotic stress and its’ evolution. This will summarise how bacterial population heterogeneity contributes to the survival and evolution of the population under antibiotic stress.
The scope of the research topic includes, research work related to different aspects contributing to bacterial population heterogeneity, antibiotic tolerance, and persistence. This includes phenotypic, epigenetic, and genetic mechanisms contributing to bacterial population heterogeneity and survival of sub-populations under antibiotic stress. Clinical implications of emergence of antibiotic tolerance and persistence resulting in hard-to-treat bacterial infections, relapse, and the emergence of resistance. Interaction between antibiotic tolerance and resistance and potentiators of antibiotics.
The goal of this research topic is to address the limitation in the understanding of bacterial population dynamics to antibiotic stress and its’ evolution. This will summarise how bacterial population heterogeneity contributes to the survival and evolution of the population under antibiotic stress.
The scope of the research topic includes, research work related to different aspects contributing to bacterial population heterogeneity, antibiotic tolerance, and persistence. This includes phenotypic, epigenetic, and genetic mechanisms contributing to bacterial population heterogeneity and survival of sub-populations under antibiotic stress. Clinical implications of emergence of antibiotic tolerance and persistence resulting in hard-to-treat bacterial infections, relapse, and the emergence of resistance. Interaction between antibiotic tolerance and resistance and potentiators of antibiotics.
Keywords: Antibiotic tolerance, persistence, dormancy, stress response, Viable but not cultivable (VBNC), survival
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