Effect of endocrine disruptors on bacterial virulence

Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023 Nov 6:13:1292233. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1292233. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

For several decades, questions have been raised about the effects of endocrine disruptors (ED) on environment and health. In humans, EDs interferes with hormones that are responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis, reproduction and development and therefore can cause developmental, metabolic and reproductive disorders. Because of their ubiquity in the environment, EDs can adversely impact microbial communities and pathogens virulence. At a time when bacterial resistance is inevitably emerging, it is necessary to understand the effects of EDs on the behavior of pathogenic bacteria and to identify the resulting mechanisms. Increasing studies have shown that exposure to environmental EDs can affect bacteria physiology. This review aims to highlight current knowledge of the effect of EDs on the virulence of human bacterial pathogens and discuss the future directions to investigate bacteria/EDs interaction. Given the data presented here, extended studies are required to understand the mechanisms by which EDs could modulate bacterial phenotypes in order to understand the health risks.

Keywords: antibiotic tolerance; biofilm; endocrine disruptors; pathogens; virulence.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Endocrine Disruptors*
  • Homeostasis
  • Hormones
  • Humans
  • Phenotype
  • Virulence

Substances

  • Endocrine Disruptors
  • Hormones

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS 80 Prime) supported this work. The present article was also supported by two 2015–2020 programs: State-Region Planning Contracts (CPER) and European Regional Development Fund (FEDER).