During bacterial infections, pathogens interact with the resident, non-pathogenic, commensal or symbiotic bacteria that comprise the microbiome. 

 

Bacterial pathogens are known to have a range of systems that are able to antagonize or kill members of the microbiome. These systems offer a competitive advantage to bacterial pathogens since killing competitors increases the availability of space and nutrients to support their own growth and proliferation.

 

The ability to antagonize the microbiome appears to be an important virulence factor for some pathogens, but this is far from being understood.

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Our lab focuses on expanding the fundamental knowledge of the interactions that occur between bacterial pathogens and the microbiome in food-producing animals. Our hope is that this fundamental knowledge can be leveraged to develop novel, anti-infective probiotics that will improve the ability of agricultural animals to resist bacterial disease and lower the requirements to use prophylactic antibiotics in agriculture.