ReviewMicrobiology spectrum2017
Fitness Costs of Plasmids: a Limit to Plasmid Transmission.
Review in Microbiology spectrum, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 319 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
319 citing papers in PubMed, 550 citations in OpenAlex.
- Genome-integrated engineering ofSynthetic and systems biotechnology · 2027Article
- ZoonoticEmerging microbes & infections · 2026Article
- Microbiome ecology and antibiotic treatment failure: resistance spread, microbial competition and community engineering.Microbial genomics · 2026Review
- Spatial constraints determine the spread of plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance between bacterial colonies.mSystems · 2026Article
- Mobile genetic elements drive a plasmid fusion and deletion lifecycle shaping evolution and antimicrobial resistance.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance trends inMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Within-patient gene transfer between transiently and chronically infecting bacteria causes extreme antibiotic resistance during lung infections.Nature microbiology · 2026Article
- Ecological theory sheds light on plasmid diversity and dynamics.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Phenotypic and Genomic Divergence in Biofilm Formation in STEC and Non-STECPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Comparative Analysis of Toxigenic and Megaplasmid-FreeMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- Single-Step Chromosomal Engineering Integrates Biocontainment and Therapeutic Function for Regulatory-Oriented Live Biotherapeutic Chassis Design.Pharmaceutics · 2026Article
- A dual-tier plasmid network model underpins the evolutionary success of pandemic Klebsiella pneumoniae ST11.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Gain and loss of plasmid-borne antibiotic resistance genes are associated with chromosomal resistance presence in Enterobacteriaceae.mSystems · 2026Article
- Horizontal acquisition of nicotine catabolism gene cluster enhances Arthrobacter fitness within tobacco root microbiota.Microbiome · 2026Article
- Lineage-aware comparison of extended-spectrumMicrobial genomics · 2026Article
- Resistance potentiators: Evolutionary catalysts of antibiotic resistance.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Eco-evolutionary dynamics of defense systems in mobile genetic elements: Cui bono?Research square · 2026Article
- A plasmid-encoded H-NS protein selectively binds its own plasmid.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Bacteriophage therapy for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections: recent advances, clinical evidence, and translational challenges.Archives of microbiology · 2026Review
- Selective targeting of a histone-like silencer Sfx to the R6K conjugal transfer operon.Nucleic acids research · 2026Article
259 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Plasmids mediate the horizontal transmission of genetic information between bacteria, facilitating their adaptation to multiple environmental conditions. An especially important example of the ability of plasmids to catalyze bacterial adaptation and evolution is their instrumental role in the global spread of antibiotic resistance, which constitutes a major threat to public health. Plasmids provide bacteria with new adaptive tools, but they also entail a metabolic burden that, in the absence of selection for plasmid-encoded traits, reduces the competitiveness of the plasmid-carrying clone. Although this fitness reduction can be alleviated over time through compensatory evolution, the initial cost associated with plasmid carriage is the main constraint on the vertical and horizontal replication of these genetic elements. The fitness effects of plasmids therefore have a crucial influence on their ability to associate with new bacterial hosts and consequently on the evolution of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying plasmid fitness cost remain poorly understood. Here, we analyze the literature in the field and examine the potential fitness effects produced by plasmids throughout their life cycle in the host bacterium. We also explore the various mechanisms evolved by plasmids and bacteria to minimize the cost entailed by these mobile genetic elements. Finally, we discuss potential future research directions in the field.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.