Consequences of benzalkonium chloride tolerance for selection dynamics and de novode novo resistance evolution driven by antibiotics
- 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.…


| Autor*innen: | Frank SchreiberORCiD, Orestis Kanaris, Niclas Nordholt |
|---|---|
| Koautor*innen: | Frank SchreiberORCiD |
| Dokumenttyp: | Forschungsdatensatz |
| Veröffentlichungsform: | Graue Literatur |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Jahr der Erstveröffentlichung: | 2025 |
| Organisationseinheit der BAM: | 4 Material und Umwelt |
| 4 Material und Umwelt / 4.1 Biologische Materialschädigung und Referenzorganismen | |
| Herausgeber (Institution): | Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) |
| Verlag: | National Library of Medicine |
| Verlagsort: | Bethesda |
| Freie Schlagwörter: | Antibiotics; Antimicrobial resistance; Antimicrobial surfaces; Biocides |
| Themenfelder/Aktivitätsfelder der BAM: | Umwelt |
| Umwelt / Umwelt-Material-Interaktionen | |
| Art der Ressource: | Datensatz |
| Ort der Datenerhebung: | Berlin, Germany |
| Beginndatum der Datenerstellung: | 01.03.2020 |
| Enddatum der Datenerstellung: | 01.10.2024 |
| URL: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/?term=PRJNA1282584 |
| Verfügbarkeit des Dokuments: | Datei für die Öffentlichkeit verfügbar ("Open Access") |
| Lizenz (Deutsch): | Allgemeines Deutsches Urheberrecht |
| Datum der Freischaltung: | 19.12.2025 |
| Referierte Publikation: | Nein |
| Schriftenreihen ohne Nummerierung: | Forschungsdatensätze der BAM |


