Plasmids have a key role in bacterial ecology and evolution because they mobilize
accessory genes by horizontal gene transfer. However, recent studies have revealed that …

Waste water and waste water treatment plants can act as reservoirs and environmental
suppliers of antibiotic resistance. They have also been proposed to be hotspots for …

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been recognized as emerging pollutants that are
widely distributed and accumulated in most of aquatic environment. Although many ARGs …

Antibiotic-resistant infections are an urgent problem in clinical settings because they sharply
increase mortality risk in critically ill patients. The horizontal spread of antibiotic resistance …

Since the first genome-scale comparisons, it has been evident that the genomes of many
species are unbound by strict vertical descent: Large differences in gene content can occur …

Plasmids play an important role in bacterial genome evolution by transferring genes
between lineages. Fitness costs associated with plasmid carriage are expected to be a …

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are significant source of antibiotic resistant bacteria
(ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which can spread further in the environment …

The'plasmid paradox'arises because, although plasmids are common features of bacterial
genomes, theoretically they should not exist: rates of conjugation were believed insufficient …

The spread of genes encoding antibiotic resistance is often mediated by horizontal gene
transfer (HGT). Many of these genes are associated with transposons, a type of mobile …

In experimental evolution, laboratory-controlled conditions select for the adaptation of
species, which can be monitored in real time. Despite the current popularity of such …