Low Levels of Antibiotics Cause Multidrug Resistance in 'Superbugs', Boston University School of Medicine Study

BU -- Many people with bacterial infections stop taking antibiotics when their symptoms improve, thereby allowing the hardy bacteria that survive to multiply and potentially mount a more powerful defense against future applications of the same drug. But a new study led by Professor James Collins (BME) indicates that sub-lethal doses of an antibiotic can trigger another, more alarming outcome, in which the targeted bacteria become cross-resistant to multiple antibiotics.