Evolution of commensal bacteria in the intestinal tract of mice.

Evolution of commensal bacteria in the intestinal tract of mice.
Curr Opin Microbiol. 2017 Jun 04;38:114-121
Authors: Sousa A, Frazão N, Ramiro RS, Gordo I
Abstract
Hundreds of different bacterial species inhabit our intestines and contribute to our health status, with significant loss of species diversity typically observed in disease conditions. Within each microbial species a great deal of diversity is hidden and such intra-specific variation is also key to the proper homeostasis between the host and its microbial inhabitants. Indeed, it is at this level that new mechanisms of antibiotic resistance emerge and pathogenic characteristics evolve. Yet, our knowledge on intra-species variation in the gut is still limited and an understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms acting on it is extremely reduced. Here we review recent work that has begun to reveal that adaptation of commensal bacteria to the mammalian intestine may be fast and highly repeatable, and that the time scales of evolutionary and ecological change can be very similar in these ecosystems.
PMID: 28591676 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Current Opinion in Microbiology - June 4, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Sousa A, Frazão N, Ramiro RS, Gordo I Tags: Curr Opin Microbiol Source Type: research