Backstabbing bacteria: a new treatment for infection?

PA231/10 Selfish bacterial cells that act in their own interests and do not cooperate with their infection-causing colleagues can actually reduce the severity of infection. The selfish behaviour of these uncooperative bacteria could offer a new hope in the future fight against antibiotic resistant infections such as MRSA, according to a study carried out by researchers at The University of Nottingham. Bacteria work together by using a well-studied communication system called Quorum Sensing (QS). During infection, bacteria talk to each other using QS to coordinate the release of toxins. Researchers at the University, led by Dr Steve Diggle in the Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, have discovered that in Staphylococcus aureus infections, bacteria defective in QS can benefit from 'opting out' of toxin production. By doing so, they can invest more energy in reproducing — while taking advantage of the nutrient-rich infection maintained by their neighbours. By looking after themselves in this way, QS-deficient bacteria are quickly able to outnumber other bacteria that are busy making toxins.