Mobile genetic elements are key to the evolution of bacteria and traits that affect host and
ecosystem health. Here, we use a framework of a hierarchical and modular system that …

Horizontal gene transfer is an important evolutionary force, facilitating bacterial diversity. It is
thought to be pervasive in host-associated microbiomes, where bacterial densities are high …

Antibiotic resistance encoded on plasmids is a pressing global health problem. Predicting
which plasmids spread in the long term remains very challenging, even though some key …

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been widely found and studied in soil and water
environments. However, the propagation of ARGs in plant microbiomes has attracted …

Conjugative plasmids play a key role in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
genes across bacterial pathogens. AMR plasmids are widespread in clinical settings, but …

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria is a major public health problem. The main route
for AMR acquisition in clinically important bacteria is the horizontal transfer of plasmids …

Plasmids, extrachromosomal DNA molecules commonly found in bacterial and archaeal
cells, play an important role in bacterial genetics and evolution. Our understanding of …

Multidrug resistance (MDR) plasmids drive the spread of antibiotic resistance between
bacterial lineages. The immediate impact of MDR plasmid acquisition on fitness and cellular …

Plasmids drive bacterial evolutionary innovation by transferring ecologically important
functions between lineages, but acquiring a plasmid often comes at a fitness cost to the host …

Rising rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are a threat to global health. The spread of
AMR genes in bacteria is driven to a large extent by the action of plasmids (1). Plasmids are …