Pseudomonas-Candida interactions: an ecological role for virulence factors.
Bacterial-fungal interactions have great environmental, medical, and economic importance, yet few have been well characterized at the molecular level. Here, we describe a pathogenic interaction between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans, two opportunistic pathogens. P. aeruginosa forms a dense biofilm on C. albicans filaments and kills the fungus. In contrast, P. aeruginosa neither binds to nor kills yeast-form C. albicans. Several P. aeruginosa virulence factors that are important in disease are involved in the killing of C. albicans filaments. We propose that many virulence factors studied in the context of human infection may also have a role in bacterial-fungal interactions.
Hogan
Deborah A
DA
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Kolter
Roberto
R
D000898:Antibiosis; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D018441:Biofilms; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D005407:Flagella / Q000502:physiology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins