Can chatter between microbes prevent cholera?

Abstract

Tackling the global rise in antibiotic resistance requires new therapies against infectious microbes. A recent microbiome study identified commensal gut bacteria that reduce colonisation by the cholera pathogen, Vibrio cholerae. This antagonistic interaction might be mediated by quorum sensing, suggesting that these natural microbe-microbe interactions can help prevent infectious disease.

Keywords: AI-2; LuxS; bacterial signalling; cell–cell communication; microbiota; quorum sensing.