Cheating bacterium becomes antibiotic-tolerant at expense of other species

When the antibiotic-sensitive Escherichia coli is grown together with antibiotic-tolerant Bacillus subtilis, the former becomes tolerant and the latter sensitive to an antimicrobial drug. This is the first time such an apparently counterintuitive behaviour has been observed. The results could have implications for antibiotics development as many diseases – cystic fibrosis, wound infections or gum inflammation – are caused by multiple bacterial species.