Plasmid conjugation is a major mechanism responsible for the spread of antibiotic
resistance. Plasmid fitness costs are known to impact long‐term growth dynamics of …

Conjugative plasmids drive genetic diversity and evolution in microbial populations. Despite
their prevalence, plasmids can impose long-term fitness costs on their hosts, altering …

Plasmid fitness is directed by two orthogonal processes—vertical transfer through cell
division and horizontal transfer through conjugation. When considered individually …

Plasmids are important vectors for the spread of genes among diverse populations of
bacteria. However, there is no standard method to determine the rate at which they spread …

It is generally assumed that antibiotics can promote horizontal gene transfer. However,
because of a variety of confounding factors that complicate the interpretation of previous …

Conjugative plasmids are widespread and play an important role in bacterial evolution by
accelerating adaptation through horizontal gene transfer. However, explaining the long-term …

It is difficult to understand plasmid maintenance in the absence of selection and theoretical
models predict the conditions for plasmid persistence to be limited. Plasmid-associated …

Highlights•Plasmid colonization of a new host requires a predetermined sequence of
events.•Colonization steps are contact initiation, invasion, establishment and …

The global dissemination of plasmids encoding antibiotic resistance represents an urgent
issue for human health and society. While the fitness costs for host cells associated with …

Mobilizable plasmids lack necessary genes for complete conjugation and are therefore non-
self-transmissible. Instead, they rely on the conjugation system of conjugal plasmids to be …