Metabolite Cross-Feeding Enhances Virulence in a Model Polymicrobial Infection

PLoS Pathogens

Kendra P. Rumbaugh¹  Marvin Whiteley²  Matthew M. Ramsey² 

[1] Department of Surgery, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America;Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America

关键词: Glucose metabolism;    Abscesses;    Glucose;    Polymicrobial infections;    Catabolism;    Streptococcal infections;    Bacterial pathogens;    Opportunistic pathogens;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.ppat.1002012

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

Microbes within polymicrobial infections often display synergistic interactions resulting in enhanced pathogenesis; however, the molecular mechanisms governing these interactions are not well understood. Development of model systems that allow detailed mechanistic studies of polymicrobial synergy is a critical step towards a comprehensive understanding of these infections in vivo. In this study, we used a model polymicrobial infection including the opportunistic pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and the commensal Streptococcus gordonii to examine the importance of metabolite cross-feeding for establishing co-culture infections. Our results reveal that co-culture with S. gordonii enhances the pathogenesis of A. actinomycetemcomitans in a murine abscess model of infection. Interestingly, the ability of A. actinomycetemcomitans to utilize L-lactate as an energy source is essential for these co-culture benefits. Surprisingly, inactivation of L-lactate catabolism had no impact on mono-culture growth in vitro and in vivo suggesting that A. actinomycetemcomitans L-lactate catabolism is only critical for establishing co-culture infections. These results demonstrate that metabolite cross-feeding is critical for A. actinomycetemcomitans to persist in a polymicrobial infection with S. gordonii supporting the idea that the metabolic properties of commensal bacteria alter the course of pathogenesis in polymicrobial communities.

【 授权许可】

CC BY