Fast growth can counteract antibiotic susceptibility in shaping microbial community resilience to antibiotics

Abstract

Significance Antibiotic exposure stands among the most used interventions to drive microbial communities away from undesired states. How the ecology of microbial communities shapes their recovery—e.g., posttreatment shifts toward Clostridioides difficile infections in the gut—after antibiotic exposure is poorly understood. We study community response to antibiotics using a model community that can reach two alternative states. Guided by theory, our experiments show that microbial growth following antibiotic exposure can counteract antibiotic susceptibility in driving transitions between alternative community states. This makes it possible to reverse the outcome of antibiotic exposure through modifying growth dynamics, including cooperative growth, of community members. Our research highlights the relevance of simple ecological models to better understand the long-term effects of antibiotic treatment.