Pathogenic Bacterium Alters Gut Environment to Promote Disease
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have discovered how the bacterium enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) manipulates the gut environment to support its colonization and cause disease. ETBF, known for causing diarrhea and being linked to inflammatory diseases like colitis and colorectal cancer, uses its toxin, Bacteroides fragilis toxin (BFT), to reprogram intestinal cell metabolism. This reprogramming increases levels of lactate and oxygen, which support ETBF's growth despite its anaerobic nature. The study suggests that ETBF actively drives inflammation by reshaping host metabolism, opening new avenues for therapeutic interventions targeting metabolic interactions between host and microbes. 
