Adaptive mutations produce resistance to ciprofloxacin.

Mutation to ciprofloxacin resistance continually occurred in nondividing Escherichia coli cells during a 7-day exposure to ciprofloxacin in agar, while no accumulation of rifampin resistance mutations was detected in those cells. We propose that the resistance mutations result from adaptive mutations, which preferentially produce phenotypes that promote growth in nondividing cells.