Vaccine-enhanced competition permits rational bacterial strain replacement in the gut

• DOI: 10.1126/science.adp5011
• Publication Date: 2025-04-04T04:30:56Z
• Authors: Verena Lentsch; Aurore Woller; Andrea Rocker; Selma Aslani; Claudia Moresi; Niina Ruoho; Louise Larsson; Stefan A. Fattinger; Nicolas Wenner; Elisa Cappio Bara...; Wolf-Dietrich Hardt; Claude Loverdo; Médéric Diard; Emma Slack
• Keywords: Competitive exclusion; Colonisation resistance

Colonization of the intestinal lumen precedes invasive infection for a wide range enteropathogenic and opportunistic pathogenic bacteria. We show that combining oral vaccination with engineered or selected niche-competitor strains permits pathogen exclusion strain replacement in mouse gut lumen. This approach can be applied either prophylactically to prevent invasion nontyphoidal Salmonella strains, therapeutically displace an established Escherichia coli. Both intact adaptive immunity metabolic niche competition are necessary efficient vaccine-enhanced competition. Our findings imply mucosal antibodies have evolved work context microbial ecology by influencing outcome has broad implications elimination antibiotic-resistant bacterial reservoirs rational microbiota engineering.