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How members of the microbiome specifically fight salmonella infections - EurekAlert
The microbiome, the microorganisms that populate our intestines and aid in digestion, weighs around one and a half kilograms. It primarily consists of bacteria and provides protective effects against pathogens entering our digestive system through food, for example. An international team led by Dr Lisa Osbelt-Block and Prof. Till Strowig, both from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, investigated the mechanisms by which the microbiome counters a salmonella infection. Among other findings, they discovered that bacteria of the Klebsiella oxytoca species in particular exert pressure on salmonella in several ways. Eventually, these findings could one day be used to develop a therapy that takes a completely different approach to the currently known treatments for infections: Instead of using antibiotics, which weaken the important microbiome as a side effect, the microbiome could be specifically strengthened to enhance resistance against salmonella. The researchers have published their latest results in the journal Nature Microbiology, while a pioneering methodology study was published in the Journal of Bacteriology in February.
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