The escalating global antibiotic resistance crisis is largely due to the spread of plasmid-borne antibiotic resistance genes (ARG). Horizontal acquisition of ARG enables diversification of genomes and the potential for rapid fitness increases. Horizontal gene transfer, has been proposed to act as a mechanism that can stabilize, public goods (extracellular group resource products) cooperation by converting non-cooperative, non-producer cells into cooperative producer cells. Here, β-lactamases as public goods, and their transfer by conjugative plasmids is studied.
Link to the article: rb.gy/wfuzuc
Published On: 23/03/2023
