In vivo microscopy reveals the impact of Pseudomonas aeruginosa social interactions on host colonization

Abstract

Pathogenic bacteria engage in social interactions to colonize hosts, which include quorum-sensing-mediated communication and the secretion of virulence factors that can be shared as \"public goods\" between individuals. While in-vitro studies demonstrated that cooperative individuals can be displaced by \"cheating\" mutants freeriding on social acts, we know little about social interactions in infections. Here, we developed a live imaging system to track virulence factor expression and social strain interactions in the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonizing the gut of Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that shareable siderophores and quorum-sensing systems are expressed during infections, affect host gut colonization, and benefit nonproducers. However, non-producers were unable to cheat and outcompete producers, probably due to the spatial segregation of strains within the gut. Our results shed new light on bacterial social interactions in infections and reveal potential limits of therapeutic approaches that aim to capitalize on social dynamics between strains for infection control.