Accumulating evidence suggests that the response of bacteria to antibiotics is significantly affected by the presence of other interacting microbes. These interactions are not typically accounted for when determining pathogen sensitivity to antibiotics. In this perspective, we argue that resistance and evolutionary responses to antibiotic treatments should not be considered only a trait of an individual bacteria species but also an emergent property of the microbial community in which pathogens are embedded. We outline how interspecies interactions can affect the responses of individual species and communities to antibiotic treatment, and how these responses could affect the strength of selection, potentially changing the trajectory of resistance evolution. Finally, we identify key areas of future research which will allow for a more complete understanding of antibiotic resistance in bacterial communities. We emphasise that acknowledging the ecological context, i.e. the interactions that occur between pathogens and within communities, could help the development of more efficient and effective antibiotic treatments.

越来越多的证据表明，细菌对抗生素的反应会受到其他相互作用微生物的显着影响。在确定病原体对抗生素的敏感性时，通常不会考虑这些相互作用。从这个角度来看，我们认为对抗生素治疗的耐药性和进化反应不应仅被视为单个细菌物种的特征，还应被视为嵌入病原体的微生物群落的新兴特性。我们概述了种间相互作用如何影响个体物种和群落对抗生素治疗的反应，以及这些反应如何影响选择的强度，从而可能改变耐药性进化的轨迹。最后，我们确定了未来研究的关键领域，这将有助于更全面地了解细菌群落中的抗生素耐药性。我们强调承认生态背景，即病原体之间和社区内发生的相互作用，可以帮助开发更高效和有效的抗生素治疗。