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Microbiology

Altruistic defence

Nature volume 467, pages 34–35 (2010)Cite this article

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A charitable deed by a few cells in a bacterial culture can help the rest of that population survive in the presence of antibiotics. This finding can aid further research into a major problem in public health.

On page 82 of this issue, Lee et al.2 offer a new angle from which to view this picture, one that reveals collective action on the part of bacteria exposed to an antibiotic threat. The work highlights the importance of quantitatively understanding microbial population dynamics in developing the correct strategies for prescribing antibiotics for patients.

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References

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  2. Lee, H. H., Molla, M. N., Cantor, C. R. & Collins, J. J. Nature 467, 82–85 (2010).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hyun Youk and Alexander van Oudenaarden are in the Departments of Physics and of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. avano@mit.edu,

    Hyun Youk & Alexander van Oudenaarden

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  1. Hyun Youk
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  2. Alexander van Oudenaarden
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Youk, H., van Oudenaarden, A. Altruistic defence. Nature 467, 34–35 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/467034a

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