Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA elements that can be found throughout bacteria, as
well as in other domains of life. Nonetheless, the evolutionary processes underlying the …

Plasmids are key vectors of horizontal gene transfer and essential genetic engineering tools.
They code for genes involved in many aspects of microbial biology, including detoxication …

Plasmid persistence in bacterial populations is strongly influenced by the fitness effects
associated with plasmid carriage. However, plasmid fitness effects in wild-type bacterial …

In the absence of antibiotic-mediated selection, sensitive bacteria are expected to displace
their resistant counterparts if resistance genes are costly. However, many resistance genes …

The evolution of antibiotic resistance carries a fitness cost, expressed in terms of reduced
competitive ability in the absence of antibiotics. This cost plays a key role in the dynamics of …

Phage therapy is one of the alternatives to treat infections caused by both antibiotic-sensitive
and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, with no or low toxicity to patients. It was started a century …

Large conjugative plasmids are important drivers of bacterial evolution and contribute
significantly to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance. Although plasmid borne multidrug …

Unfortunately for mankind, it is very likely that the antibiotic resistance problem we have
generated during the last 60 years due to the extensive use and misuse of antibiotics is here …

Plasmids drive genomic diversity in bacteria via horizontal gene transfer [1, 2]; nevertheless,
explaining their survival in bacterial populations is challenging [3]. Theory predicts that …

We analyzed 43 CTX-M-15–producing Escherichia coli isolates and 6 plasmids encoding
the blaCTX-M-15 gene from Canada, India, Kuwait, France, Switzerland, Portugal, and …