Thanks, but no thanks: Cholera pathogen keeps incoming DNA at bay

Abstract

Bacterial pathogens must maintain a delicate balance between acquiring novel genetic material and preserving their well-engrained cell physiology. In the recent study by Jaskólska et al., an astonishing example of this sophisticated phenomenon was found in Vibrio cholerae,with the pandemic strain encoding systems within two horizontally acquired pathogenicity islands that degrade incoming DNA.