FIG 2.
Effect of plasmid coexistence on the evolution of E. coli antibiotic resistance phenotypes in the hospital setting. Ec0, susceptible, no resistance plasmids (pink line); EcA, PL1-AbAR (red); EcC, PL3-AbAR-AbCR (light fluorescent green); EcF, AbF*R (violet); EcAC, PL1-AbAR plus PL3-AbAR-AbCR (light blue); EcAF, PL1-AbAR plus AbF*R (brown); EcCF, PL3, AbAR-AbCR plus AbF*R (olive green); EcACF, PL1-AbAR plus PL3-AbAR-AbCR plus AbF*R (dark blue). The rate of plasmid cost compensation was fixed at 10−5. Numbers in ordinates are expressed in hecto-cells (one unit = 100 cells in the microbiota). Note that if the cell is able to stably maintain one copy of PL1 and one or two copies of PL3 or one copy of PL3 and one or two of PL1, resistance to different antibiotics increases in time.