“Leveraging Symbiotic Bacteria for Advanced Disease Control Strategies”

Dr Priyambada Singh
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology
Kalinga University, Raipur

The medical industry is changing dramatically as it looks for new and creative methods to fight illness. Using symbiotic bacteria, beneficial bacteria that exist naturally in and around us to create cutting-edge disease management methods is one intriguing strategy. These microbes, which have coevolved with people, animals, and plants, are vital to digestion, immunity, and general health. Researchers hope to develop novel, less intrusive, and extremely successful approaches to disease prevention and control by using symbiotic bacteria in medical and agricultural settings. Symbiotic bacteria have the potential to improve human health by treating and preventing diseases. Researchers are exploring probiotics and microbiome therapies as non-invasive treatments for various conditions. Probiotics improve gut health and immune function, while skin bacteria act as a barrier against pathogens. Some strains of gut bacteria have been found to enhance cancer immunotherapy effectiveness, offering new targeted therapies. Beard et al. 1998 study outlined a unique approach to reducing the transmission of disease by arthropods, which involves genetically altering symbiotic bacteria in these vectors to stop them from infecting humans. These creatures, called “paratransgenic” arthropods, are produced by changing just the symbiotic bacteria that inhabit the arthropods. This method has been effective in treating three Chagas disease vectors and has demonstrated potential for use with other disease-carrying arthropods. The approach is based on the idea that arthropods naturally harbour bacterial symbionts.
A study by Wang et al. 2012 described how symbiotic bacteria, namely Pantoea agglomerans, are used to deliver antimalaria effector molecules to the midgut lumen in order to render mosquitoes resistant to malaria infection. Using the Escherichia coli haemolysin A secretion system, this method reduced the growth of malaria parasites in humans and rodents by up to 98%. Also, by controlling how nutrients are processed and fat is stored, beneficial bacteria can aid in the management of metabolic disorders including obesity and type 2 diabetes. By naturally preventing infections, they also lessen antibiotic resistance by lowering the demand for drugs. This microbial balance can lessen inflammation and help control blood sugar levels. The maintenance of health and the prevention of disease depend heavily on symbiotic bacteria. Together, they support immunity, guard against infections, and lower inflammation in our bodies. Treatments based on the microbiome and probiotics present encouraging prospects for a healthier future. Accepting beneficial bacteria is part of a comprehensive strategy for health that emphasises sustainability, balance, and the strength of nature’s tiniest creatures.
References:
Morales-Cruz, A., Baumgart, L.A. Harnessing symbiotic bacteria for disease control. Nat Rev Microbiol 22, 741 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-024-01115-0
S. Wang, A.K. Ghosh, N. Bongio, K.A. Stebbings, D.J. Lampe, M. Jacobs Lorena, Fighting malaria with engineered symbiotic bacteria from vector mosquitoes, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 109 (31) 12734-12739, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1204158109 (2012).
Beard CB, Durvasula RV, Richards FF. Bacterial Symbiosis in Arthropods and the Control of Disease Transmission. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 1998;4(4):581-591. doi:10.3201/eid0404.980408.