Social evolution in micro-organisms and a Trojan horse approach to medical intervention strategies

Sam P. Brown, Stuart A. West, Stephen P. Diggle, Ashleigh S. Griffin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Medical science is typically pitted against the evolutionary forces acting upon infective populations of bacteria. As an alternative strategy, we could exploit our growing understanding of population dynamics of social traits in bacteria to help treat bacterial disease. In particular, population dynamics of social traits could be exploited to introduce less virulent strains of bacteria, or medically beneficial alleles into infective populations. We discuss how bacterial strains adopting different social strategies can invade a population of cooperative wild-type, considering public good cheats, cheats carrying medically beneficial alleles (Trojan horses) and cheats carrying allelopathic traits (anti-competitor chemical bacteriocins or temperate bacteriophage viruses). We suggest that exploitation of the ability of cheats to invade cooperative, wild-type populations is a potential new strategy for treating bacterial disease.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3157-3168
Number of pages12
JournalPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Volume364
Issue number1533
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12 Nov 2009

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • altruism
  • bacteriocins
  • cheat
  • cooperation
  • spite
  • virulence

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Social evolution in micro-organisms and a Trojan horse approach to medical intervention strategies'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this