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. 2023 Jul 12;31(7):1140-1153.e3.
doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.05.029. Epub 2023 Jun 21.

Differences in carbon metabolic capacity fuel co-existence and plasmid transfer between Salmonella strains in the mouse gut

Ersin Gül  1 , Andrew Abi Younes  2 , Jemina Huuskonen  2 , Cheickna Diawara  2 , Bidong D Nguyen  2 , Luca Maurer  2 , Erik Bakkeren  2 , Wolf-Dietrich Hardt  3
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Free article

Differences in carbon metabolic capacity fuel co-existence and plasmid transfer between Salmonella strains in the mouse gut

Ersin Gül et al. Cell Host Microbe. .
Free article

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance plasmids can be disseminated between different Enterobacteriaceae in the gut. Here, we investigate how closely related Enterobacteriaceae populations with similar nutrient needs can co-bloom in the same gut and thereby facilitate plasmid transfer. Using different strains of Salmonella Typhimurium (S.Tm SL1344 and ATCC14028) and mouse models of Salmonellosis, we show that the bloom of one strain (i.e., recipient) from very low numbers in a gut pre-occupied by the other strain (i.e., donor) depends on strain-specific utilization of a distinct carbon source, galactitol or arabinose. Galactitol-dependent growth of the recipient S.Tm strain promotes plasmid transfer between non-isogenic strains and between E. coli and S.Tm. In mice stably colonized by a defined microbiota (OligoMM12), galactitol supplementation similarly facilitates co-existence of two S.Tm strains and promotes plasmid transfer. Our work reveals a metabolic strategy used by Enterobacteriaceae to expand in a pre-occupied gut and provides promising therapeutic targets for resistance plasmids spread.

Keywords: E. coli; Salmonella; antibiotic resistance; arabinose; co-bloom; colonization resistance; galactitol; gut colonization; microbiota; plasmid transfer.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests.

Comment in

  • Sugar-fuelled plasmid exchanges.
    Taglialegna A. Taglialegna A. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2023 Sep;21(9):553. doi: 10.1038/s41579-023-00952-9. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2023. PMID: 37433958 No abstract available.

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