Breaking the resistance: Why bacteria are stronger together

Description

We know that frequent use of antibiotics can cause resistance in bacteria, and we know how they pass on resistance genes to each other. But simply studying disease-causing bacteria and genes is too limited, says microbiologist Marjon de Vos. Her research takes a broader view of the bacterial ecosystem as a whole. It turns out that bacteria that were considered harmless bystanders play an important role in the development of resistance.