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BACTERIAL PATHOGENESIS

Stand by to repel boarders

Nature Microbiology volume 4, pages 8–9 (2019)Cite this article

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Streptococcus pneumoniae strains colonizing the nasopharynx use quorum sensing and fratricide to outcompete incoming strains, thereby retaining ownership of the host. This occurs via activation of the competence regulon, induction of lytic proteins, and turning the invader into a source of DNA for genetic exchange.

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Fig. 1: Resident pneumococci repel incoming competitors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, Department of Molecular and Biomedical Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia

    James C. Paton & Claudia Trappetti

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  1. James C. Paton
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  2. Claudia Trappetti
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Correspondence to James C. Paton.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Paton, J.C., Trappetti, C. Stand by to repel boarders. Nat Microbiol 4, 8–9 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-018-0324-2

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