title: Intestinal irony: how probiotic bacteria outcompete bad bugs.
abstract: In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Deriu et al. present a mechanistic explanation underlying the benefits of certain probiotic bacteria. Intestinal bacteria compete for the essential nutrient iron, leading to replacement of pathogenic Salmonella by the probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle, which is better equipped with iron acquisition systems, and resolution of infectious colitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine VI, Innsbruck Medical University, Anichstraße 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. guenter.weiss@i-med.ac.at
authors.forename: Guenter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003092:Colitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007501:Iron