New Role for the SOS Response in Sustained Colonization of Commensal Escherichia coli
The ability of bacteria to survive in host environments has significant implications for health and disease. The SOS response, the highly conserved bacterial DNA damage response, contributes to bacterial survival in response to genotoxic stressors. Samuels et al. (e00711-18) present new evidence that demonstrates a critical role for the SOS response in sustained gut colonization and reveals the competing microbiome flora as a major source of the associated stress. This work highlights that commensal organisms experience ongoing genotoxic stress and suggests that the SOS response may contribute to dynamic genomic diversification in the microbiome and could promote acquisition of antibiotic resistance.
Establishment, Validation, and Application of a New World Primate Model of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Disease for Vaccine Development
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) remains a significant diarrheal disease threat for populations living in or traveling to areas where the disease is endemic. A vaccine targeting the most common circulating strains of ETEC is viewed as a critical tool in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease. Development of a vaccine has been hampered by the lack of an animal vaccination-challenge model that mimics human disease symptoms. Rollenhagen et al. (e00634-18) describe the development of a nonhuman primate model in Aotus nancymaae that demonstrates protection against ETEC-caused diarrhea following vaccination with an ETEC fimbria-based vaccine. This development paves the way for future vaccine development and study.
- Copyright © 2019 American Society for Microbiology.
