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Intraspecies warfare restricts strain coexistence in human skin microbiomes
Christopher P Mancuso1,2, Jacob S Baker1,2, Evan Qu1,2
1Institute for Medical Engineering and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|May 20, 2024
Summary
Bacterial warfare between Staphylococcus epidermidis strains prevents them from coexisting on human skin. This intraspecies conflict is a major barrier to introducing new strains into the skin microbiome.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Systems biology
- Human microbiome research
Background:
- Understanding microbial colonization is key to microbiome engineering.
- Metabolic competition is a known factor limiting bacterial engraftment.
- The role of bacterial warfare in commensal engraftment is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of intraspecies warfare in limiting bacterial strain coexistence.
- To determine the prevalence and impact of bacterial antagonism in the human skin microbiome.
Main Methods:
- Profiling 14,884 pairwise interactions between Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates.
- Analyzing isolates from eighteen individuals across six families.
- Assessing the mechanistic diversity and genetic basis of antagonisms.
Main Results:
- Intraspecies warfare is abundant and mechanistically diverse among Staphylococcus epidermidis.
- Antagonisms are independent of strain relatedness and suggest rapid evolution.
- Bacterial warfare is significantly depleted among strains found within the same host, indicating in vivo relevance.
Conclusions:
- Intraspecies bacterial warfare is a significant barrier to strain coexistence in the human skin microbiome.
- Accounting for these antagonistic interactions is crucial for designing effective probiotic therapeutics.
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