Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is increasing in pathogenic microbial populations and is thus a major threat to public health. The fate of a resistance mutation in pathogen populations is determined in part by its fitness. Mutations that suffer little or no fitness cost are more likely to persist in the absence of antibiotic treatment. In this review, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the fitness costs associated with single mutational events that confer resistance. Generally, these mutations were costly, although several drug classes and species of bacteria on average did not show a cost. Further investigations into the rate and fitness values of compensatory mutations that alleviate the costs of resistance will help us to better understand both the emergence and management of antibiotic resistance in clinical settings.
Highlights
The initial optimism accompanying the introduction of antibiotics to control infection over 60 years ago has been steadily worn down by continuing reports of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among most human-associated pathogens (Palumbi 2001; Perron et al 2006)
Widespread therapeutic and prophylactic use of antibiotics in health care and agriculture constitutes a strong and persistent selective pressure favoring the evolution of antibiotic-resistant strains, a phenomenon characterized by Hall (2004) as ‘use it and lose it’
We identified suitable studies to include in our data set by searching the online database Web of Science with the keywords ‘antibiotic resistance’ + ‘fitness cost’ published as of November 2013
Summary
The initial optimism accompanying the introduction of antibiotics to control infection over 60 years ago has been steadily worn down by continuing reports of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among most human-associated pathogens (Palumbi 2001; Perron et al 2006). Estimates of the economic burden of AMR are estimated to be at least 1.5 billion euros annually in Europe (World Health Organization 2012) and on the order of $200 million annually in Canada alone (Conly 2002), and these costs are expected to get worse with time. Widespread therapeutic and prophylactic use of antibiotics in health care and agriculture constitutes a strong and persistent selective pressure favoring the evolution of antibiotic-resistant strains, a phenomenon characterized by Hall (2004) as ‘use it and lose it’. For this reason, research has been increasingly focused on eliminating, or at least controlling, AMR once it has evolved. Sensitive genotypes that do not pay a cost of resistance should replace resistant strains at a rate proportional to the magnitude of the cost imposed by resistance (Levin et al 1997; Johnsen et al 2009)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
