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Using a Bacterial Pathogen to Probe for Cellular and Organismic-level Host Responses
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Microbe-mediated host defence drives the evolution of reduced pathogen virulence
Suzanne A Ford1, Damian Kao1, David Williams2
1Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.
Nature Communications
|November 16, 2016
Summary
Defensive microbes can reduce pathogen virulence. Co-evolution with a protective microbe (Enterococcus faecalis) and pathogen (Staphylococcus aureus) in hosts led to less virulent pathogens, driven by pathogen adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Host-Microbe Interactions
Background:
- Host-protective microbes are natural disease control agents.
- Pathogen adaptation to host defenses can alter virulence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how defensive microbes influence pathogen virulence evolution.
- To understand the mechanisms behind changes in pathogen virulence.
Main Methods:
- Co-evolution experiments using Caenorhabditis elegans hosts, Enterococcus faecalis (defensive microbe), and Staphylococcus aureus (pathogen).
- Genomic and phenotypic analyses of pathogen adaptation.
- Assessing the impact of pathogen changes on defensive microbe fitness.
Main Results:
- Co-evolution resulted in reduced Staphylococcus aureus virulence.
- Pathogen adaptation involved decreased production of iron-scavenging siderophores.
- Reduced siderophore production negatively impacted Enterococcus faecalis fitness.
Conclusions:
- Defensive microbes can drive the evolution of reduced pathogen virulence.
- Pathogen adaptation to defensive microbes, specifically reduced siderophore production, underlies virulence evolution.
- The mechanism of pathogen resistance dictates the direction of virulence evolution.
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