The Battle Within: Interactions of Bacteriophages and Bacteria in the Gastrointestinal Tract

• Published in: Cell host & microbe Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 210 - 218
• Main Authors: De Sordi, Luisa, Lourenço, Marta, Debarbieux, Laurent
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 13.02.2019
• Subjects: Animals; Bacteria; Bacteriophages; Biological Coevolution; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gastrointestinal Tract; Humans; Life Sciences; Mice; Microbial Interactions; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
• ISSN: 1931-3128; 1934-6069; 1934-6069
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.01.018

The intestinal microbiota is intimately linked to human health. Decoding the mechanisms underlying its stability in healthy subjects should uncover causes of microbiota-associated diseases and pave the way for treatment. Bacteria and bacteriophages (phages) are the most abundant biological entities in the gastrointestinal tract, where their coexistence is dynamic and affixed. Phages drive and maintain bacterial diversity by perpetuating the coevolutionary interactions with their microbial prey. This review brings together recent in silico, in vitro, and in vivo work dissecting the complexity of phage-bacteria interactions in the intestinal microbiota, including coevolution perspectives. We define the types of dynamics encountered in the gastrointestinal tract and the parameters that affect their outcome. The impact of intestinal physiology on phage-bacterial coevolution is analyzed in the light of its potential contribution to the relationship between the microbiota and human health. Mainly composed of bacteria and their specific viruses, bacteriophages, the composition of the intestinal microbiota is altered in a growing number of diseases and disorders. This Review reports on the factors that are affecting the predator-prey relationship between bacteriophages and bacteria and their evolution in relation to human health.