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Updated: Oct 1, 2025

Coincubation Assay for Quantifying Competitive Interactions between Vibrio fischeri Isolates
Published on: July 22, 2019
A commensal-encoded genotoxin drives restriction of Vibrio cholerae colonization and host gut microbiome remodeling
Jiandong Chen1, Hyuntae Byun1, Rui Liu2
1Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Abstract:
SignificanceIn a polymicrobial battlefield where different species compete for nutrients and colonization niches, antimicrobial compounds are the sword and shield of commensal microbes in competition with invading pathogens and each other. The identification of an Escherichia coli-produced genotoxin, colibactin, and its specific targeted killing of enteric pathogens and commensals, including Vibrio cholerae and Bacteroides fragilis, sheds light on our understanding of intermicrobial interactions in the mammalian gut. Our findings elucidate the mechanisms through which genotoxins shape microbial communities and provide a platform for probing the larger role of enteric multibacterial interactions regarding infection and disease outcomes.
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