A Nigerian scientist has joined an international research effort in the United States that has provided new insight into how bacteria can help one another survive antibiotic treatment, potentially opening another path in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance.
The research, led by scientists at Baylor College of Medicine and supported by the United States National Institutes of Health, investigated how bacterial cells transfer proteins between themselves under stressful conditions, particularly when exposed to antibiotics.
The findings, published in Science, suggest that some bacteria can transfer proteins to neighbouring bacterial cells through tiny membrane-bound structures known as vesicles. The process may help certain bacteria withstand antibiotic treatment and remain alive during exposure to drugs.
The discovery is significant because antimicrobial resistance has become one of the major challenges confronting modern medicine. When bacteria develop mechanisms that allow them to survive antibiotics, infections that were once relatively easy to treat can become more difficult and costly to manage.
According to the National Institutes of Health, researchers demonstrated that antibiotics can trigger some bacteria to become protein donors while others act as recipients. The donor cells package proteins into vesicles and release them, enabling neighbouring cells to acquire proteins that may improve their ability to survive stress.
The study therefore adds another dimension to scientists’ understanding of bacterial survival.
Traditionally, much attention has focused on the ability of bacteria to pass genetic material, including antibiotic-resistance genes, to one another. The new research provides evidence that bacteria can also transfer functional proteins between cells, suggesting that bacterial communities may possess additional mechanisms for adapting to hostile environments.
For researchers investigating antimicrobial resistance, understanding these mechanisms could provide new targets for future therapeutic strategies.
The study was conducted by a multidisciplinary team led by Dr Christophe Herman of Baylor College of Medicine. The research involved genetically modified Escherichia coli bacteria designed to enable scientists to track the movement of proteins between bacterial cells.
The researchers discovered that bacterial vesicles, which are released particularly in response to stress, could transport proteins from one cell to another.
They further established that antibiotic exposure could activate processes associated with protein transfer, raising the possibility that bacteria within the same environment may cooperate in ways that increase their collective ability to withstand treatment.
The development comes amid growing concern over antimicrobial resistance and the diminishing effectiveness of some conventional antibiotics.
When bacteria survive antibiotic exposure, they can persist in the body and contribute to prolonged or recurring infections. Understanding how bacterial cells communicate and exchange survival-related materials could therefore help scientists identify strategies for interrupting these processes.
The researchers’ findings do not represent a new antibiotic or an immediate treatment for resistant infections. Rather, they provide fundamental biological evidence that could inform future research into ways of preventing bacteria from sharing protective proteins or disrupting the cellular processes that facilitate their survival.
The research was published on June 25, 2026, in Science, with the paper titled “Antibiotics stimulate protein transfer to persister cells.”
The involvement of a Nigerian scientist in high-level international research also highlights the contribution of African-trained researchers to scientific discovery beyond the continent.
Nigeria continues to face significant challenges associated with infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance, making research into bacterial survival particularly relevant to the country.
Previous research involving Nigerian scientists has similarly explored new approaches to combating drug-resistant bacteria. Nigerian researcher Opeyemi Fatunbi, for instance, has been involved in research into pathogenic RNA regulators and their potential relevance to the development of new antimicrobial therapies.
The growing participation of Nigerian scientists in international research also underscores the importance of strengthening scientific training, research funding, laboratory infrastructure and international collaboration within Nigeria’s higher education system.
For universities, the development reinforces the need to move beyond teaching-based education towards research environments capable of producing scientists whose work contributes to global knowledge and addresses problems affecting both Nigeria and the wider world.
As antimicrobial resistance continues to challenge healthcare systems, discoveries that reveal previously underappreciated survival mechanisms in bacteria could become increasingly important in the search for more targeted and effective ways of treating bacterial infections.
