DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Is bacterial persistence an altruistic, selfish, or kin-selected social trait?

成为“坚持者”的细菌可以在压力下生存（如饥饿或抗生素的使用），但不能繁殖。持久性细菌消耗更少的食物，为其他细菌提供更多的食物。这种持久性的进化是因为它帮助个体在压力下生存，还是因为它对细菌群，尤其是近亲有利？计算机模型和在不同条件下使用不同无害细菌混合物的实验将用于研究这一问题。将使用发出不同颜色荧光的细菌，这样它们就可以被区分出来进行测量。持久性细菌引起的疾病更难治愈，因为它们很难被杀死，即使使用抗生素也能杀死同一菌株的活性个体。这项研究可能表明医院条件和治疗如何影响细菌持久性的快速进化，甚至在单个患者中。此外，如果持久性实际上是个体为了其亲属的共同利益而牺牲自己的成功的一个例子，那么这个系统可以用来研究合作的进化，在几天内做实验，而在多细胞生物中需要几十年。本研究将为高中生及大学生提供训练机会。

Bacteria that become "persisters" can survive stress (such as starvation or application of antibiotics), but cannot reproduce. Persisters consume less food, making more food available for other bacteria. Did the persistence trait evolve because it helps individuals to survive stress, or because it is advantageous to bacterial groups, especially close relatives? Computer models and experiments with different mixtures of harmless bacteria under different conditions will be used to investigate this issue. Bacteria that fluoresce different colors will be used, so that they can be distinguished for measurements.Diseases caused by persister bacteria are more difficult to cure because they are hard to kill, even with antibiotics that kill active individuals of the same strains. This research may suggest how hospital conditions and treatments affect the rapid evolution of bacterial persistence, even within a single patient. In addition, if persistence is in fact an example of individuals sacrificing their own success for the common good of their relatives, then this system can be used to study the evolution of cooperation, doing experiments in days that would take decades with multicellular organisms. This research will provide training opportunities for high school and undergraduate students.