Plasmids have a key role in bacterial ecology and evolution because they mobilize
accessory genes by horizontal gene transfer. However, recent studies have revealed that the …

Antibiotic-resistant infections are an urgent problem in clinical settings because they sharply
increase mortality risk in critically ill patients. The horizontal spread of antibiotic resistance …

Plasmids mediate the horizontal transmission of genetic information between bacteria, facilitating
their adaptation to multiple environmental conditions. An especially important example …

For most of human history, bacterial pathogens have been a major cause of disease and
mortality. The development of antibiotics provided a simple and effective treatment for bacterial …

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

Plasmids are important drivers of bacterial evolution, but it is challenging to understand how
plasmids persist over the long term because plasmid carriage is costly. Classical models …

Plasmids are thought to play a key role in bacterial evolution by acting as vehicles for horizontal
gene transfer, but the role of plasmids as catalysts of gene evolution remains unexplored…

Plasmids have a key role in the horizontal transfer of genes among bacteria. Although plasmids
are catalysts for bacterial evolution, it is challenging to understand how they can persist …

In most gram-negative bacteria, acquired multiresistance is conferred by large plasmids
compiling numerous antimicrobial resistance genes. Here, we show an evolutionary alternative …

Evolution is the hallmark of life. Descriptions of the evolution of microorganisms have
provided a wealth of information, but knowledge regarding “what happened” has precluded a …