Distinct plasmid- and host-encoded mechanisms drive small plasmid copy number-mediated heteroresistance in Escherichia coli

Angelika Ntokaki E. Joffré Bart Melgers Margarita Komi Erik Holmqvist Dan I. Andersson Hervé Nicoloff Helen Wang

Aug 2026 · bioRxiv · 0 citations

Biology

TL;DR

This study investigates the contribution of small plasmids to heteroresistance using a clinical bloodstream Escherichia coli isolate carrying a 12 kb ColE1-type plasmid, and shows that this plasmid drives transient β-lactam heteroresistance through massive increases in plasmid copy number.

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