Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Outer Membrane Vesicles Modulate Virulence of Shigella flexneri
Nicholas L. Xerri, Shelley M. Payne
Abstract
pathogenesis. Here, we show that conditioned growth medium from the commensal bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron represses the invasion of S. flexneri. This repression is due to the presence of B. thetaiotaomicron outer membrane vesicles. These findings establish a role for interspecies interactions with a prominent member of the gut microbiota in modulating the virulence of S. flexneri and identify a novel function of outer membrane vesicles in interbacterial signaling between members of the gut microbiota and an enteric pathogen.
Topics & Concepts
Bacteroides thetaiotaomicronShigella flexneriVirulenceBacterial outer membraneMicrobiologyShigellaVesicleBacteroidesChemistryBiologyBacteriaMembraneEscherichia coliBiochemistrySalmonellaGeneticsGeneEscherichia coli research studiesGut microbiota and healthClostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research