title: Scoping the effectiveness and evolutionary obstacles in using plasmid-dependent phages to fight antibiotic resistance.
abstract: To investigate the potential evolutionary obstacles in the sustainable therapeutic use of plasmid-dependent phages to control the clinically important conjugative plasmid-mediated dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes to pathogenic bacteria.
  
  
  
  The lytic plasmid-dependent phage PRD1 and the multiresistance conferring plasmid RP4 in an Escherichia coli host were utilized to assess the genetic and phenotypic changes induced by combined phage and antibiotic selection.
  
  
  
  Resistance to PRD1 was always coupled with either completely lost or greatly reduced conjugation ability. Reversion to full conjugation efficiency was found to be rare, and it also restored the susceptibility to plasmid-dependent phages. Consequently, plasmid-dependent phages constitute an interesting candidate for development of sustainable anticonjugation/antiresistance therapeutic applications.
authors: Department of Biological & Environmental Science, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.|Department of Food & Environmental Sciences/Microbiology & Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland.
authors: Ville
authors: V
authors: Ojala
authors: Department of Biological & Environmental Science, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.|Department of Food & Environmental Sciences/Microbiology & Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland.
authors: Sari
authors: S
authors: Mattila
authors: Department of Biological & Environmental Science, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.|Department of Food & Environmental Sciences/Microbiology & Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland.
authors: Ville
authors: V
authors: Hoikkala
authors: Department of Biological & Environmental Science, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.|Department of Food & Environmental Sciences/Microbiology & Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland.
authors: Jaana Kh
authors: JKh
authors: Bamford
authors: Department of Biological & Environmental Science, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.|Department of Food & Environmental Sciences/Microbiology & Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland.
authors: Teppo
authors: T
authors: Hiltunen
authors: Department of Biological & Environmental Science, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.|Department of Food & Environmental Sciences/Microbiology & Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland.
authors: Matti
authors: M
authors: Jalasvuori
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: antibiotic resistance; horizontal gene transfer; phage therapy; plasmid-dependent phages