Slow spatial migration can help eradicate cooperative antimicrobial resistance in time-varying environments

This study explores how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) evolves in spatially structured microbial populations under changing environmental conditions. It shows that while migration typically promotes the spread and coexistence of resistant strains, this dynamic shifts in fluctuating environments.

Using a two-dimensional metapopulation model, the authors demonstrate that slow but non-zero migration, combined with environmental variability, can actually accelerate the extinction of resistant strains. This occurs because fluctuations create population bottlenecks that can eliminate resistance locally, while limited migration prevents its stable re-establishment across the system.

The key insight is that there are near-optimal conditions—specific migration rates and environmental fluctuation patterns—under which resistance can be eradicated most efficiently. These findings have implications for designing experimental and potentially real-world strategies to disrupt cooperative resistance mechanisms and promote AMR clearance.