Open AccessBacterial competition and quorum‐sensing signalling shape the eco‐evolutionary outcomes of model in vitro phage therapy
Author(s) -
Mumford Rachel,
Friman VillePetri
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
evolutionary applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 68
ISSN - 1752-4571
DOI - 10.1111/eva.12435
Subject(s) - biology , phage therapy , pseudomonas aeruginosa , microbiology and biotechnology , quorum sensing , bacteria , pathogen , lytic cycle , experimental evolution , antibiotic resistance , bacteriophage , stenotrophomonas maltophilia , competition (biology) , bacterial virus , lysogen , biofilm , antibiotics , virology , genetics , escherichia coli , ecology , virus , gene
Abstract The rapid rise of antibiotic resistance has renewed interest in phage therapy – the use of bacteria‐specific viruses (phages) to treat bacterial infections. Even though phages are often pathogen‐specific, little is known about the efficiency and eco‐evolutionary outcomes of phage therapy in polymicrobial infections. We studied this experimentally by exposing both quorum‐sensing ( QS ) signalling PAO 1 and QS ‐deficient lasR Pseudomonas aeruginosa genotypes (differing in their ability to signal intraspecifically) to lytic PT 7 phage in the presence and absence of two bacterial competitors: Staphylococcus aureus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia –two bacteria commonly associated with P. aeruginosa in polymicrobial cystic fibrosis lung infections. Both the P. aeruginosa genotype and the presence of competitors had profound effects on bacteria and phage densities and bacterial resistance evolution. In general, competition reduced the P. aeruginosa frequencies leading to a lower rate of resistance evolution. This effect was clearer with QS signalling PAO 1 strain due to lower bacteria and phage densities and relatively larger pleiotropic growth cost imposed by both phages and competitors. Unexpectedly, phage selection decreased the total bacterial densities in the QS ‐deficient lasR pathogen communities, while an increase was observed in the QS signalling PAO 1 pathogen communities. Together these results suggest that bacterial competition can shape the eco‐evolutionary outcomes of phage therapy.