A new study has discovered that so called 'lonely' microbes, those living at low population densities, are more likely to mutate causing higher rates of antibiotic resistance. The collaborative study from the University of Manchester, University of Keele, and the University of Middlesex was published recently in PLOS Biology.
The study follows the team's previous research that also looked at the relationship between mutation rate and population density of microbes, but only in one specific bacterium, E. coli. The 'lonely' bacteria were nearly ten times as likely to mutate to resist antibiotics as those living in dense populations.
This new research expands on those initial findings by analyzing mutation rates from all branches of life, analyzing 68 independent studies of 26 species of microbes, even including viruses. This was followed by hundreds more experiments, using nearly 2 trillion microbial cells. The findings show that the initial discovery is repeated for multiple antibiotics that target bacteria and even yeast.
"Spontaneous mutations fuel evolution, but when that mutation leads to something more serious, such as resistance to antibiotics, it becomes an issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), if resistance continues [to] rise, by 2050 it would lead to 10 million people dying every year," says the senior author of the study, Dr. Chris Night.
This research could pave the way to a better understanding of antibiotic resistance, contributing to more effective ways of combating the rise of antibiotic resistant 'superbugs'.
Image: Antibiotic-resistant E. coli bacteria growing in the lab as part of an experiment to measure mutation rate. Courtesy of the University of Manchester.