Pathogen elimination by probiotic Bacillus via signalling interference

Pipat Piewngam, Yue Zheng, Thuan H. Nguyen, Seth W. Dickey, Hwang-Soo Joo, Amer E. Villaruz, Kyle A. Glose, Emilie L. Fisher, Rachelle L. Hunt, Barry Li, Janice Chiou, Sujiraphong Pharkjaksu, Sunisa Khongthong, Gordon Y. C. Cheung, Pattarachai Kiratisin and Michael Otto ()
Additional contact information
Pipat Piewngam: National Institutes of Health
Yue Zheng: National Institutes of Health
Thuan H. Nguyen: National Institutes of Health
Seth W. Dickey: National Institutes of Health
Hwang-Soo Joo: National Institutes of Health
Amer E. Villaruz: National Institutes of Health
Kyle A. Glose: National Institutes of Health
Emilie L. Fisher: National Institutes of Health
Rachelle L. Hunt: National Institutes of Health
Barry Li: National Institutes of Health
Janice Chiou: National Institutes of Health
Sujiraphong Pharkjaksu: Mahidol University
Sunisa Khongthong: Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya
Gordon Y. C. Cheung: National Institutes of Health
Pattarachai Kiratisin: Mahidol University
Michael Otto: National Institutes of Health

Nature, 2018, vol. 562, issue 7728, 532-537

Abstract: Abstract Probiotic nutrition is frequently claimed to improve human health. In particular, live probiotic bacteria obtained with food are thought to reduce intestinal colonization by pathogens, and thus to reduce susceptibility to infection. However, the mechanisms that underlie these effects remain poorly understood. Here we report that the consumption of probiotic Bacillus bacteria comprehensively abolished colonization by the dangerous pathogen Staphylococcus aureus in a rural Thai population. We show that a widespread class of Bacillus lipopeptides, the fengycins, eliminates S. aureus by inhibiting S. aureus quorum sensing—a process through which bacteria respond to their population density by altering gene regulation. Our study presents a detailed molecular mechanism that underlines the importance of probiotic nutrition in reducing infectious disease. We also provide evidence that supports the biological significance of probiotic bacterial interference in humans, and show that such interference can be achieved by blocking a pathogen’s signalling system. Furthermore, our findings suggest a probiotic-based method for S. aureus decolonization and new ways to fight S. aureus infections.

Keywords: Probiotic Bacillus; National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases (NIAID); Methicillin-resistant S. Aureus (MRSA); Fengycin Production; Quorum Quenching (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0616-y

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