Consequences of benzalkonium chloride tolerance on the development of antibiotic resistance in E. coli

  • Biocides are used in large amounts in industrial, medical, and domestic settings. Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is a commonly used biocide, for which previous research revealed that Escherichia coli can rapidly adapt to tolerate BAC-disinfection, with consequences for antibiotic susceptibility. However, the consequences of BAC-tolerance for selection dynamics and resistance evolution to antibiotics remain unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of BAC-tolerance in E. coli on its response upon challenge with different antibiotics. Competition assays showed that subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin - but not ampicillin, colistin and gentamicin - select for the BAC-tolerant strain over the BAC-sensitive ancestor at a minimal selective concentration of 0.0013-0.0022 µg∙mL-1. In contrast, the BAC-sensitive ancestor was more likely to evolve resistance to ciprofloxacin, colistin and gentamicin than the BAC-tolerant strain when adapted to higher concentrations of antibiotics in aBiocides are used in large amounts in industrial, medical, and domestic settings. Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is a commonly used biocide, for which previous research revealed that Escherichia coli can rapidly adapt to tolerate BAC-disinfection, with consequences for antibiotic susceptibility. However, the consequences of BAC-tolerance for selection dynamics and resistance evolution to antibiotics remain unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of BAC-tolerance in E. coli on its response upon challenge with different antibiotics. Competition assays showed that subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin - but not ampicillin, colistin and gentamicin - select for the BAC-tolerant strain over the BAC-sensitive ancestor at a minimal selective concentration of 0.0013-0.0022 µg∙mL-1. In contrast, the BAC-sensitive ancestor was more likely to evolve resistance to ciprofloxacin, colistin and gentamicin than the BAC-tolerant strain when adapted to higher concentrations of antibiotics in a serial transfer laboratory evolution experiment. The observed difference in the evolvability of resistance to ciprofloxacin was partly explained by an epistatic interaction between the mutations conferring BAC-tolerance and a knockout mutation in ompF encoding for the outer membrane porin F. Taken together, these findings suggest that BAC-tolerance can be stabilized in environments containing low concentrations of ciprofloxacin, while it also constrains evolutionary pathways towards antibiotic resistance.zeige mehrzeige weniger

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Autor*innen:Orestis Kanaris
Koautor*innen:Lydia-Yasmin SobischORCiD, Annett Gödt, Frank SchreiberORCiD, Niclas Nordholt
Dokumenttyp:Posterpräsentation
Veröffentlichungsform:Präsentation
Sprache:Englisch
Jahr der Erstveröffentlichung:2025
Organisationseinheit der BAM:4 Material und Umwelt
4 Material und Umwelt / 4.1 Biologische Materialschädigung und Referenzorganismen
DDC-Klassifikation:Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / Ingenieurwissenschaften / Sanitär- und Kommunaltechnik; Umwelttechnik
Freie Schlagwörter:AMR; Biocides; Resistance evolution
Themenfelder/Aktivitätsfelder der BAM:Umwelt
Umwelt / Umwelt-Material-Interaktionen
Veranstaltung:µClub Seminar
Veranstaltungsort:Berlin, Germany
Beginndatum der Veranstaltung:23.05.2025
Verfügbarkeit des Dokuments:Datei im Netzwerk der BAM verfügbar ("Closed Access")
Datum der Freischaltung:12.11.2025
Referierte Publikation:Nein
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