Host-to-host variation of ecological interactions in polymicrobial infections

Host-to-host variability with respect to interactions between microorganisms and multicellular hosts are commonly observed in infection and in homeostasis. However, the majority of mechanistic models used in analyzing host-microorganism relationships, as well as most of the ecological theories propo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2014-04
Main Authors: Mukherjee, Sayak, Weimer, Kristin E, Sang-Cheol Seok, Ray, Will C, Jayaprakash, C, Vieland, Veronica J, Swords, W Edward, Das, Jayajit
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria
Dynamic models
Ecological monitoring
Homeostasis
Immune system
Maximum entropy
Microorganisms
Nutrients
Pathogens
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Summary:Host-to-host variability with respect to interactions between microorganisms and multicellular hosts are commonly observed in infection and in homeostasis. However, the majority of mechanistic models used in analyzing host-microorganism relationships, as well as most of the ecological theories proposed to explain co-evolution of host and microbes, are based on averages across a host population. By assuming that observed variations are random and independent, these models overlook the role of inter-host differences. Here we analyze mechanisms underlying host-to-host variations, using the well-characterized experimental infection model of polymicrobial otitis media (OM) in chinchillas, in combination with population dynamic models and a Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) based inference scheme. We find that the nature of the interactions among bacterial species critically regulates host-to-host variations of these interactions. Surprisingly, seemingly unrelated phenomena, such as the efficiency of individual bacterial species in utilizing nutrients for growth and the microbe-specific host immune response, can become interdependent in a host population. The latter finding suggests a potential mechanism that could lead to selection of specific strains of bacterial species during the coevolution of the host immune response and the bacterial species.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1404.6668