Interspecies interactions can affect bacterial behaviors.

Interactions between co-infecting bacterial pathogens
​Bacteria often exist in multispecies communities, where polymicrobial interactions influence antibiotic resistance, motility, lifestyle, and other bacterial behaviors. Despite this, many species are studied in isolation and therefore many of the molecules underlying interspecies interactions as well as the unique behaviors that emerge in native environments have not been deciphered. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are co-infecting pathogens that frequently cause chronic, antibiotic resistant infections in the respiratory tracts of people with cystic fibrosis. We are interested in defining novel molecules that play important roles in modifying bacterial behaviors and determining how bacteria respond to interactions within these communities. This research will ultimately enhance our understanding of bacterial communication and reveal new targets to disrupt persistent bacterial infections.