title: Pathogens' exploitation of the intestinal food web.
abstract: Competition for nutrients is a key factor controlling pathogen colonization within the gastrointestinal tract. In this issue, Ferreyra et al. (2014) and Curtis et al. (2014) show that diverse enteric pathogens can exploit a metabolic byproduct from the commensal microbiota, succinate, to enhance their own virulence expression and proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Tu Anh
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Pham N
authors.affiliation: Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK. Electronic address: tl2@sanger.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Trevor D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Lawley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000502:physiology*; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000502:physiology*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064307:Microbiota; D019802:Succinic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D019802:Succinic Acid