Host-bacteria metabolic crosstalk drives S. aureus biofilm

April 19, 2021

This article comments on work published by Tomlinson et al. (Nat Comm, 2021), which demonstrates that Staphylococcus aureus induces the production of the immunoreglatory metabolite itaconate in airway immune cells by stimulating mitochondrial oxidant stress. Itaconate in turn inhibits S. aureus glycolysis and growth, and promoted carbon flux through bacterial metabolic pathways that support biofilm production.