Paul R. Johnston

The paper shows that stringent response activation in Staphylococcus aureus increases plasmid conjugation, particularly in strains with Rel mutations, without relying on known mechanisms like CodY derepression or increased plasmid copy number.

This study shows that random antimicrobial peptide mixtures reduce resistance evolution in Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared to single peptides, preventing cross-resistance and maintaining drug sensitivity.