Antibiotics don’t promote swapping of resistance genes

Outside of a few specific examples, antibiotics do not promote the spread of bacterial antibiotic resistance through genetic swapping, as previously assumed. Researchers report that while the overuse of antibiotics is undeniably at the heart of the growing global crisis, this research suggests population dynamics is to blame, rather than increased DNA sharing. The results have implications for designing antibiotic protocols to avoid the spread of antibacterial resistance.