Antibiotic Resistance Discovered in a Bacteria That Switches Lifestyles to Survive

Antibiotic resistance is becoming more and more prevalent in bacteria. Now, scientists have found that the bacterium B. cereus may also have developed antibiotic resistance.

This bacterium had so far been considered to be exclusively endospore-forming. This means that in response to harsh environments, the bacteria form protective endospores, which enables them to remain dormant for extended periods of time. When conditions are more favorable, though, the endospores reactivate to become fully functioning bacteria.

In this latest study, though, the researchers found that this bacterium has an alternative lifestyle in the form of small colony variants (SCVs). These SCVs form in response to exposure with aminoglycoside antibiotics. SCVs grow more slowly that the original form of the bacterium, and have an altered metabolism and are resistant to these antibiotics.

"The bacterium protects itself against the harmful effects of the antibiotics by forming these Small Colony Variants," said Elrike Frenzel, the first author of the new study, in a news release. "But B. cereus is usually treated with exactly those antibiotics which induce the SCV state. If an antibiotic triggers the formation of SCVs, it also triggers resistance."

This discovered mechanism is of enormous significance in clinical practice. Traditional diagnostic methods are based on the identification of metabolic features of B. cereus. These tests, though, will not detect SCVs since they have a slower, altered metabolism. This may result in incorrect antibiotic therapies or even failed diagnoses.

The findings reveal a bit more about this bacterium, which may help develop new diagnostic tools and practices for the future.

The findings are published in the journal mBio.

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