Determining the role of inter-kingdom interactions in the evolution of antimicrobial resistance

Infections where multiple different types of microbe infect a patient at the same time are difficult to treat due to the rapid evolution of antimicrobial resistance. During such polymicrobial infections pathogens release a vast range of mutation causing compounds to compete with each other, potentially affecting how quickly resistance evolves and spreads. I will use a combination of detailed experiments, gene editing and DNA sequencing to examine to how competition between the most common fungal and bacterial pathogens to form polymicrobial infections in the lung, Aspergillus fumigatus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, affects the evolution of resistance in both species. I will investigate how interactions change the rate at which resistance evolves and how they alter the spread of resistance within a microbial community. My research is critical in designing and developing new treatments for polymicrobial infections in order to mitigate the evolution and spread of resistance.