Why do some bacteria easily exchange complex traits without paying a price? Olaya Rendueles (LMGM-CBI) and her colleagues reveal that the capsule of Klebsiella pneumoniae acts as a “plug-and-play” module.
Its transfer between highly diverse strains does not affect bacterial physiology. And if exchanging capsules comes at no cost, then bacterial strains that are already resistant or virulent can easily “change their armor” to adapt to new environments, evade the immune system, or circumvent vaccines, without losing their virulence.
This promotes the rapid circulation of resistance and virulence traits within bacterial populations, which could facilitate the emergence and/or spread of more virulent or antibiotic-resistant strains, raising a major public health concern.
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