The dynamics of cooperative bacterial virulence in the field
File(s)
Accepted version
Supporting information
Author(s)
Raymond, B
West, SA
Griffin, AS
Bonsall, MB
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Laboratory experiments have shown that the fitness of microorganisms can depend on cooperation between cells. Although this insight has revolutionized our understanding of microbial life, results from artificial microcosms have not been validated in complex natural populations. We investigated the sociality of essential virulence factors (crystal toxins) in the pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis using diamondback moth larvae (Plutella xylostella) as hosts. We show that toxin production is cooperative, and in a manipulative field experiment, we observed persistent high relatedness and frequency- and density-dependent selection, which favor stable cooperation. Conditions favoring social virulence can therefore persist in the face of natural population processes, and social interactions (rapid cheat invasion) may account for the rarity of natural disease outbreaks caused by B. thuringiensis.
Date Issued
2012
Citation
Science, 2012, 337 (6090), pp.85-88
ISSN
0036-8075
Publisher
AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE
Start Page
85
End Page
88
Journal / Book Title
Science
Volume
337
Issue
6090
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2012, American Association for the Advancement of Science. This is the author’s version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science, 337(6090), 2012. DOI:10.1126/science.1218196
Identifier
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=22767928
Publication Status
Published