Costs of fluoroquinolone resistance in clinical E. coli: a potential explanation for similarities in resistance between the UK and Canada

Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest challenges faced by modern medicine. Countries operating public healthcare systems need to effectively treat patients while practising responsible antibiotic stewardship. The rising prevalence of resistance means, however, that many current first-line antibiotics are becoming ineffective. In particular, resistance to the the fluoroquinolones, a broad-spectrum class of antibiotics, is on the rise globally. Curiously, the prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance is high on a national scale, despite differences in prescribing rates between countries such as the UK and Canada. The aim of this research is to understand if the high prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance could be due to it having relatively little negative effect on bacterial growth in the absence of fluoroquinolone use. This would mean that resistant strains can remain prevalent even if fluoroquinolone use is reduced. To accomplish this, I will look at the effect of common resistance mechanisms in clinical strains of Escherichia coli, an organism where fluoroquinolone resistance is particularly common due to its use in treating urinary tract infections.

Faculty Supervisor:

Alex Wong

Student:

Partner:

University of Manchester

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

Carleton University

Program: