51³Ô¹ÏÍø

A new study reveals how commensal bacteria can help protect us from infection by pathogenic bacteria.

Studies in mice demonstrate that signals from the bacteria that harmlessly—and often beneficially—inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract boost the immune system’s ability to kill a major respiratory pathogen, Klebsiella pneumoniae, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the journal Infection and Immunity.

, an Early Career Research Fellow in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, spoke with The American Society for Microbiology about the importance of these “commensal” bacteria to human health and physiology. To read the interview, click .