title: A model of band-pass phenotypic resistance in a modified Beverton-Holt framework.
abstract: A new mathematical model of phenotypic bacterial resistance to a periodically applied antibiotic is presented. Using a modified Beverton-Holt framework, and without appealing to any explicit internal timescale or heritable mutations, we map the parameter-space regions corresponding to bacterial colony survival or extinction. It is demonstrated that band-pass behavior, in which colony survival occurs at intermediate - but not short or long - antibiotic application periods, is a possible regime for some initial population values if the bactericidal activity is sufficient. However, below this threshold value of antibiotic efficacy, a "fixed-point catastrophe" occurs, and colony extinction does not occur when the bacteria are challenged with long application periods. These results suggest that the dosing schedule of antibiotics within a clinical setting merits additional scrutiny, since even seemingly unimportant modifications to the frequency of administration may lead to widely diverging patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL 33314, United States. Electronic address: lnemzer@nova.edu.
authors.forename: Louis R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Nemzer
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Antibiotic resistance; Band-pass; Beverton–Holt