Mutualistic interaction between S almonella enterica and A spergillus niger and its effects on Z ea mays colonization

Summary S almonella   T yphimurium inhabits a variety of environments and is able to infect a broad range of hosts. Throughout its life cycle, some hosts can act as intermediates in the path to the infection of others. A spergillus niger is a ubiquitous fungus that can often be found in soil or associated to plants and microbial consortia. Recently, S .  T yphimurium was shown to establish biofilms on the hyphae of A . niger . In this work, we have found that this interaction is stable for weeks without a noticeable negative effect on either organism. Indeed, bacterial growth is promoted upon the establishment of the interaction. Moreover, bacterial biofilms protect the fungus from external insults such as the effects of the anti‐fungal agent cycloheximide. Thus, the S almonella– A spergillus interaction can be defined as mutualistic. A tripartite gnotobiotic system involving the bacterium, the fungus and a plant revealed that co‐colonization has a greater negative effect on plant growth than colonization by either organism in dividually. Strikingly, co‐colonization also causes a reduction in plant invasion by S .  T yphimurium. This work demonstrates that S .  T yphimurium and A . niger establish a mutualistic interaction that alters bacterial colonization of plants and affects plant physiology.