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Worms exposed to virulent bacteria show changes in social behaviour

Disease-causing microorganisms can alter the social behaviour of their hosts. Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite worms exposed to an infectious bacterial strain become attracted to a mixture of pheromone cues instead of avoiding it. This boosts mating with males in the hermaphrodites, increasing the ability to produce genetic diversity in the face of microbial challenge.

This is a summary of: Wu, T. et al. Pathogenic bacteria modulate pheromone response to promote mating. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05561-9 (2023).

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-04224-z

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