Protein-protein interactions is a component of the rapid development of bioinfomatics within BABS which is being fostered, with others, by Professor Marc Wilkins.
Increased Virulence, Survival and Fitness of Mixed Bacterial Communities
Genetic change underpins the ability of organisms to adapt to changing environments. Recent data from this research has demonstrated that bacterial biofilms are active sites of genetic change in bacteria, leading to the formation of genetic variants with altered traits, eg. changes in virulence factor production, altered biofilm formation and stress survival. In experiments where we have compared the virulence and survival of combinations of variants with non-variant populations, we have shown that the mixed community is superior.
This project compares the virulence and fitness of Pseudomonas aeruginosa variants derived from clinical and environmental specimens and will test the hypothesis that the activity of the mixed community is greater than the sum of its individual parts. This is a leading-edge concept in evolution and infection, with significant implications for treatment of infectious diseases, environmental survival of bacteria, and community-based evolution.
BABS personnel that are responsible for this project