Virtually all plants and animals, including humans, are home to symbiotic microorganisms.
Symbiotic interactions can be neutral, harmful or have beneficial effects on the host …

Evolution is the hallmark of life. Descriptions of the evolution of microorganisms have
provided a wealth of information, but knowledge regarding “what happened” has precluded …

In the absence of antibiotic-mediated selection, sensitive bacteria are expected to displace
their resistant counterparts if resistance genes are costly. However, many resistance genes …

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global problem hindering treatment of bacterial
infections, rendering many aspects of modern medicine less effective. AMR genes (ARGs) …

Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA elements that can be found throughout bacteria, as
well as in other domains of life. Nonetheless, the evolutionary processes underlying the …

Bioaugmentation, or the inoculation of microorganisms (eg, bacteria harboring the required
catabolic genes) into soil to enhance the rate of contaminant degradation, has great …

Rhizobia are one of the most important and best studied groups of bacterial symbionts. They
are defined by their ability to establish nitrogen-fixing intracellular infections within plant …

The plasmid-encoded colistin resistance gene mcr-1 challenges the use of polymyxins and
poses a threat to public health. Although IncI2-type plasmids are the most common vector for …

With plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance thriving and threatening to become a serious
public health problem, it is paramount to increase our understanding of the forces that …

Plasmid fitness is directed by two orthogonal processes—vertical transfer through cell
division and horizontal transfer through conjugation. When considered individually …