title: Antibiotic resistance in the wild: an eco-evolutionary perspective.
abstract: The legacy of the use and misuse of antibiotics in recent decades has left us with a global public health crisis: antibiotic-resistant bacteria are on the rise, making it harder to treat infections. At the same time, evolution of antibiotic resistance is probably the best-documented case of contemporary evolution. To date, research on antibiotic resistance has largely ignored the complexity of interactions that bacteria engage in. However, in natural populations, bacteria interact with other species; for example, competition and grazing are import interactions influencing bacterial population dynamics. Furthermore, antibiotic leakage to natural environments can radically alter bacterial communities. Overall, we argue that eco-evolutionary feedback loops in microbial communities can be modified by residual antibiotics and evolution of antibiotic resistance. The aim of this review is to connect some of the well-established key concepts in evolutionary biology and recent advances in the study of eco-evolutionary dynamics to research on antibiotic resistance. We also identify some key knowledge gaps related to eco-evolutionary dynamics of antibiotic resistance, and review some of the recent technical advantages in molecular microbiology that offer new opportunities for tackling these questions. Finally, we argue that using the full potential of evolutionary theory and active communication across the different fields is needed for solving this global crisis more efficiently.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human influences on evolution, and the ecological and societal consequences'.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Environmental Sciences/Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Teppo
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7206-2399
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hiltunen
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Environmental Sciences/Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Virta
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Metapopulation Research Centre, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, 00014 Helsinki, Finland anna-liisa.laine@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: Anna-Liisa
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0703-5850
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Laine
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D019143:Evolution, Molecular
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: antimicrobial resistance; eco-evolutionary dynamics; evolution; horizontal gene transfer; microbial community dynamics; sub-inhibitory antibiotics