Distinct plasmid- and host-encoded mechanisms drive small plasmid copy number-mediated heteroresistance in Escherichia coli
Angelika Ntokaki, Enrique Joffré, Bart Melgers, Margarita Komi, Erik Holmqvist, Dan I. Andersson, Hervé Nicoloff, Helen H. Wang
The paper shows small plasmids can cause antibiotic heteroresistance through copy number increases via plasmid mutations or chromosomal recD mutations in Escherichia coli.
bioRxiv · Aug 19, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology