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'Blooming' in the gut: how dysbiosis might contribute to pathogen evolution
Bärbel Stecher1, Lisa Maier, Wolf-Dietrich Hardt
1German Centre for Infection Research and the Max von Pettenkofer-Institut, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Pettenkoferstrasse 9, 80336 Munich, Germany.
Abstract:
Hundreds of bacterial species make up the mammalian intestinal microbiota. Following perturbations by antibiotics, diet, immune deficiency or infection, this ecosystem can shift to a state of dysbiosis. This can involve overgrowth (blooming) of otherwise under-represented or potentially harmful bacteria (for example, pathobionts). Here, we present evidence suggesting that dysbiosis fuels horizontal gene transfer between members of this ecosystem, facilitating the transfer of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes and thereby promoting pathogen evolution.
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