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.zeige mehrzeige weniger

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Metadaten
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):License LogoAllgemeines Deutsches Urheberrecht
Datum der Freischaltung:19.12.2025
Referierte Publikation:Nein
Schriftenreihen ohne Nummerierung:Forschungsdatensätze der BAM
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