W. R. Harcombe

Emergent Antibiotic Persistence in Cross-Feeding Bacteria in Structured Habitats

This study shows that cross-feeding and spatial structure in bacterial communities can lead to increased antibiotic persistence in E. coli through 'dynamical loss of access to nutrient'.

Bacteriophage diet breadth is impacted by interactions between bacteria

The paper models and experiments on how bacterial interactions influence bacteriophage diet breadth, finding that competition favors generalists while mutualism favors specialists.

Mutualism reduces the severity of gene disruptions in predictable ways across microbial communities.

The paper shows mutualism reduces mutation severity in microbial communities, while competition does not, and predicts mutant fitness in complex communities by averaging simpler ones.

Weakest link dynamics predict apparent antibiotic interactions in a model cross-feeding community.

The paper predicts antibiotic interactions in a cross-feeding microbial community using monoculture data and the weakest link hypothesis, finding that monoculture results generally predict co-culture patterns.

Phage cocktail strategies for the suppression of a pathogen in a cross-feeding coculture

This paper uses experiments and simulations to show that targeting both cross-feeding bacteria in a phage cocktail more effectively suppresses a pathogen than targeting only the pathogen.

Limitation by a shared mutualist promotes coexistence of multiple competing partners

The paper shows that a shared mutualist can promote coexistence of competing bacterial strains by creating temporary resource niche differentiation.

Increasing growth rate slows adaptation when genotypes compete for diffusing resources

The paper shows that increasing growth rate slows adaptation in structured environments by causing more localized competition and reducing the effectiveness of beneficial mutations.

Cross-feeding modulates the rate and mechanism of antibiotic resistance evolution in a model microbial community of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica

This study shows that obligate cross-feeding in microbial communities slows antibiotic resistance evolution and alters resistance mechanisms, particularly in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica co-cultures.

Genome-wide assessment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis conditionally essential metabolic pathways

This study identifies conditionally essential metabolic pathways in Mycobacterium tuberculosis using Tn-seq and in silico models, revealing gaps in current knowledge of its metabolic capabilities.

A shared limiting resource leads to competitive exclusion in a cross-feeding system

The paper shows that adding a nutrient to a cross-feeding bacterial system can shift interactions from mutualism to commensalism or parasitism, affecting coexistence based on nutrient metabolism and growth rates.

Cross-feeding modulates antibiotic tolerance in bacterial communities

The paper investigates how cross-feeding between bacterial species affects antibiotic tolerance, finding that MICs drop to the weakest link's level in some cases but show deviations due to growth timing and cross-protection.