Lab Chat: Identifying antibiotic tolerance, and not just resistance, could help patients
Researchers behind a new study are cautioning against antibiotic tolerance, where bacteria survive but don’t yet develop resistance mutations to counter treatment. I spoke with Nathalie Questembert-Balaban, a biophysicist at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and senior author of the study, to learn more.
What is antibiotic tolerance?
Tolerance is not even detected in clinical settings. It enables bacteria to survive the treatment. Most antibiotics need bacterial cells to be active in some way, but bacteria establish tolerance by slowing down some essential processes so drugs can’t work.
How did you measure it?
We developed a new test that not only detects resistant bacteria, but also how tolerant they are. We apply antibiotics to the bacteria and then supply them with nutrients. If bacteria are able to grow after [this], then we can tell tolerance. If it was resistance, they would grow during antibiotic treatment.
Why is this important?
If you can do this simple test and see that you’re dealing with a tolerant bacteria, [it] could eventually save patients who are treated with a combination of antibiotics that aren’t working. If you detect tolerance in time, you can switch to the proper antibiotic.
What is antibiotic tolerance?
Tolerance is not even detected in clinical settings. It enables bacteria to survive the treatment. Most antibiotics need bacterial cells to be active in some way, but bacteria establish tolerance by slowing down some essential processes so drugs can’t work.
How did you measure it?
We developed a new test that not only detects resistant bacteria, but also how tolerant they are. We apply antibiotics to the bacteria and then supply them with nutrients. If bacteria are able to grow after [this], then we can tell tolerance. If it was resistance, they would grow during antibiotic treatment.
Why is this important?
If you can do this simple test and see that you’re dealing with a tolerant bacteria, [it] could eventually save patients who are treated with a combination of antibiotics that aren’t working. If you detect tolerance in time, you can switch to the proper antibiotic.
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