The rise of infections from multi-drug resistant pathogens has turned treatable diseases into significant threats, underscoring an urgent need for new antibiotics.

This project aims to explore antibiotic resistance in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) by assessing the fitness costs of resistance elements and identifying microbiomes that can counteract this resistance. By pinpointing perpetrator species and molecules that impose a fitness disadvantage on resistant UPEC and understanding the mechanisms behind this, the study seeks to demonstrate how specific microbiome interactions can negate or prevent resistance in vivo. Additionally, it will screen for probiotic species within the commensal microbiome that could potentially deter the development or spread of antibiotic resistance, offering a new avenue for combating this global health challenge.

Nassos Typas (EMBL), Michael Zimmermann (EMBL), Karina Xavier (IGC Lisbon)