Siderophore piracy enhances Vibrio cholerae environmental survival and pathogenesis

Abstract

<i>Vibrio cholerae,</i> the aetiological agent of cholera, possesses multiple iron acquisition systems, including those for the transport of siderophores. How these systems benefit <i>V. cholerae</i> in low-iron, polymicrobial communities in environmental settings or during infection remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that in iron-limiting conditions, co-culture of <i>V. cholerae</i> with a number of individual siderophore-producing microbes significantly promoted <i>V. cholerae</i> growth <i>in vitro</i>. We further show that in the host environment with low iron, <i>V. cholerae</i> colonizes better in adult mice in the presence of the siderophore-producing commensal <i>Escherichia coli</i>. Taken together, our results suggest that in aquatic reservoirs or during infection, <i>V. cholerae</i> may overcome environmental and host iron restriction by hijacking siderophores from other microbes.