Interaction networks, ecological stability, and collective antibiotic tolerance in polymicrobial infections.

ABSTRACT: Polymicrobial infections constitute small ecosystems that accommodate several bacterial species. Commonly, these bacteria are investigated in isolation. However, it is unknown to what extent the isolates interact and whether their interactions alter bacterial growth and ecosystem resilience in the presence and absence of antibiotics. We quantified the complete ecological interaction network for 72 bacterial isolates collected from 23 individuals diagnosed with polymicrobial urinary tract infections and found that most interactions cluster based on evolutionary relatedness. Statistical network analysis revealed that competitive and cooperative reciprocal interactions are enriched in the global network, while cooperative interactions are depleted in the individual host community networks. A

SUBMITTER: de Vos MGJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5635929 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature