Using Engineered Bacteria to Characterize Infection Dynamics and Antibiotic Effects In Vivo (Cell Host & Microbe)

Using Escherichia coli engineered with a genetic toggle switch, Certain et al. demonstrate ongoing bacterial replication in a mouse model of chronic infection, even with antibiotic treatment. This finding runs contrary to the expectation that antibiotics preferentially eliminate actively dividing bacteria and highlights the in vivo utility of synthetic biology.