Ecology and Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Nosocomial infections due to opportunistic pathogens are an important health problem. In our laboratory we are using Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as models to study the mechanisms underlying the pathology caused by organisms remains. Our research is aimed at understanding the biology of the opportunistic pathogens, especially the regulatory networks that connect their resistance to antibiotics and their virulence . We are currently addressing this problem studying insertion mutants in P. aeruginosa model strains as well as in natural of this bacterial species to understand in detail the evolutionary processes that have given rise to its virulence and resistance. These studies include analyzing the role of natural, non-clinical, ecosystems in such evolution, as well as the way in which bacteria evolve during the infection process; especially during chronic infection.