Environmental context as a key driver of Pseudomonas biocontrol activity against Salmonella.

Abstract

Salmonella poses a significant threat to food security, with frequent outbreaks reported worldwide. A large percentage of these outbreaks are associated with fresh produce intended for raw consumption. Plant microbiomes harbour diverse microbial communities, including commensal microbes such as Pseudomonas that sometimes exhibit biocontrol activity against plant pathogens. However, little is known about whether Pseudomonas strains can effectively suppress foodborne pathogens and the mechanisms they employ. In this study, we identified and characterised food derived Pseudomonas isolates capable of inhibiting Salmonella growth in vitro and in planta. The identified isolates were active against a range of Salmonella serovars, and additionally E. coli isolates derived from food. We demonstrated that dynamics of the interaction between Pseudomonas and Salmonella are environment and application dependant. To uncover the mechanisms Pseudomonas employs to suppress Salmonella, we used transcriptomics coupled with pathway analysis in the two different settings. We showed that Pseudomonas metabolism undergoes significant environment-specific changes in the presence of Salmonella, implicating different pathways responsible for the control of the pathogen in the two different settings. Our results highlight the plasticity of Pseudomonas metabolism in response to Salmonella in two distinct environments and provide evidence that Pseudomonas biocontrol activity is multifactorial and environment dependent.