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When faced with major stress, such as contact with an antibiotic or a toxic substance, bacteria are capable of activating a defence mechanism and alerting non-stressed bacteria by contact, so that the latter can anticipate the stress, protect themselves and propagate the alert signal.

This mechanism has just been described for the first time in the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae by Marc Prudhomme and Calum Johnston and by Patrice Polard's team (LMGM-CBI).

It paves the way for the development of new, more effective antibiotic treatments targeting this new bacterial communication system.

Une bactérie (vert clair) détecte un stress et s’active (vert foncé). Elle se pare d’alarmones (triangles rouges) et peut les transmettre par contact aux cellules voisines (flèches noires). À l’arrivée du stress, la proportion de cellules activées augmente et permet de convertir les cellules voisines non stressées, le mécanisme se déclenche. © Marc Prudhomme

Read more :

https://www.cnrs.fr/fr/presse/decouverte-dun-nouveau-mecanisme-de-defense-chez-les-bacteries

Contact :

Marc Prudhomme et Calum Johnston