Deciphering plasmid networks to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria

Alvaro San Millan

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria is a critical global health issue, causing over a million deaths annually. Bacteria often gain resistance by acquiring small DNA fragments called plasmids, which carry resistance genes. Some bacteria can carry multiple plasmids, leading to multidrug resistance. However, although it is not fully understood yet, not all plasmid combinations are common. This project aims to uncover the rules of plasmid coexistence, predicting which plasmids will likely coexist together as a “community”.

The research team aims to map plasmid networks, sequence multi-resistant bacteria, and test candidate plasmid combinations in the lab, they seek to learn how to predict which plasmids are most likely to coexist and which will not. This information will be invaluable to forecast the emergence of AMR and to create effective strategies to prevent its spread in clinical settings. Their results will be integrated through mathematical modelling and ecological theory, providing a critical step forward in understanding how plasmid interactions shape the assembly of plasmid communities in clinical bacteria.

This project is expected to produce groundbreaking results, both from a basic and applied science perspective, and will contribute to the development of new tools and models to predict and control the evolution of plasmid-mediated AMR.

• María Teresa Coque, Instituto Ramon y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, Spain

Assembly rules of plasmid communities in bacteria: towards predicting antimicrobial resistance

€989.250,00