Probiotic strains detect and suppress cholera in mice

Abstract

Microbiota-modulating interventions are an emerging strategy to promote gastrointestinal homeostasis. Yet, their use in the detection, prevention, and treatment of acute infections remains underexplored. We report the basis of a probiotic-based strategy to promote colonization resistance and point-of-need diagnosis of cholera, an acute diarrheal disease caused by the pathogen <i>Vibrio cholerae</i> Oral administration of <i>Lactococcus lactis</i>, a common dietary fermentative bacterium, reduced intestinal <i>V. cholerae</i> burden and improved survival in infected infant mice through the production of lactic acid. Furthermore, we engineered an <i>L. lactis</i> strain that specifically detects quorum-sensing signals of <i>V. cholerae</i> in the gut and triggers expression of an enzymatic reporter that is readily detected in fecal samples. We postulate that preventive dietary interventions with fermented foods containing natural and engineered <i>L. lactis</i> strains may hinder cholera progression and improve disease surveillance in populations at risk of cholera outbreaks.