The early bacterium catches the sugar: E. coli outcompetes Salmonella for D-galactose

Salmonella infections remain a major global health problem, and options for preventing or treating them are still limited. Our gut microbiota helps protect against such infections. While most research has focused on how the microbiota acts during later, more severe stages of infection, we wanted to understand how it can stop Salmonella early, before it takes hold.

In this study, we looked at how different strains of Escherichia coli, a common gut bacterium, compete with Salmonella Typhimurium. We found that one strain, called 8178, was especially good at restricting Salmonella shortly after infection. We discovered that this competition centers around D-galactose, a simple sugar. Our findings show that some gut bacteria can effectively starve out invading pathogens by beating them to essential nutrients. This work offers new insights into how our gut microbiota protects us and points to strategies - such as using beneficial bacteria or tailored diets - to help prevent or control gut infections.

Link to the paper in external page "PLoS Pathogens".