PUBLICATION

The Other Side of the Coin: What Beneficial Microbes Can Teach us about Pathogenic Potential

Authors
Wiles, T.J., Guillemin, K.
ID
ZDB-PUB-190513-1
Date
2019
Source
Journal of molecular biology   431(16): 2946-2956 (Review)
Registered Authors
Guillemin, Karen
Keywords
Asymptomatic, Beneficial microbe, Commensal, Disease, Host–microbe interaction, Host–microbe relationship, Host–microbe system, Infectious disease, Microbiome, Microbiota, Mutualism, Pathogen, Pathogenic potential, Pathogenicity, Symbiosis, Transmission, Virulence, Virulence factor, Zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Bacteria/genetics
  • Bacteria/metabolism
  • Bacteria/pathogenicity*
  • Bacterial Physiological Phenomena*
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions
  • Humans
  • Microbiota
  • Models, Biological
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Symbiosis
  • Virulence Factors/genetics
  • Virulence Factors/metabolism
PubMed
31078557 Full text @ J. Mol. Biol.
Abstract
Koch's postulates and molecular Koch's postulates have made an indelible mark on how we study and classify microbes, particularly pathogens. However, rigid adherence to these historic postulates constrains our view of not only microbial pathogenesis, but host-microbe relationships in general. Collectively the postulates imply that a 'microbial pathogen' is a clearly identifiable organism with the exclusive capacity to elicit disease through an arsenal of pathogen-specific 'virulence factors'. This narrow definition has been repeatedly contradicted. Advances in DNA sequencing technologies and new experimental systems have revealed that the outcomes of host-microbe interactions are highly contextual and dynamic, especially those involving resident microbiota and variable aspects of host biology. Clarifying what differentiates pathogenic from non-pathogenic microbes, including their paradoxical ability to masquerade as one another, is critical to developing targeted diagnostics and treatments for infectious disease. Such endeavors will also inform the design of therapeutic strategies based on microbiome engineering by providing insights into how manipulating entire host-microbe systems may directly or indirectly alter the pathogenic potential of microbial communities. With these goals in mind, we discuss the need to develop experimental models that better capture the contexts that determine the nature of host-microbe relationships. To demonstrate the potential of one such model-the zebrafish and its resident microbiota-we describe recent work that has revealed the thin line between pathogenic and mutualistic relationships, how the intestine physically shapes bacterial populations and inflammation, and the ability of microbial transmission to override the host's innate immune system.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping