Abstract
The lack of novel antimicrobial compounds in the development pipeline cries for innovative approaches regarding their discovery. In this Perspective, we discuss how microbial interactions play a significant role in shifting a pathogen's response to antibacterial treatment and negatively impact patient outcomes. Furthermore, we argue that interspecies interactions are often overlooked in treatment selection and current drug screening approaches, and modeling disease-relevant polymicrobial communities could help in unraveling novel strategies to eradicate pathogens.