Dr Tatiana Dimitriu - University of St Andrews

Understanding the factors controlling AMR plasmid transmission

In bacteria, genes conferring antibiotic resistance are mostly carried on conjugative plasmids, mobile elements which spread horizontally among bacterial hosts by conjugation. Here I will discuss experimental work in which we show that plasmid conjugation rate, levels of AMR conferred by plasmids and AMR gene content can all change rapidly depending on the ecological opportunities for plasmid transmission, with consequences for the spread of antibiotic resistance.