Monosaccharides drive Salmonella gut colonization in a context-dependent or -independent manner

Abstract

The carbohydrates that fuel gut colonization by S. Typhimurium are not fully known. To investigate this, we designed a quality-controlled mutant pool to probe the metabolic capabilities of this enteric pathogen. Using neutral genetic barcodes, we tested 35 metabolic mutants across five different mouse models with varying microbiome complexities, allowing us to differentiate between context-dependent and context-independent nutrient sources. Results showed that S. Typhimurium uses D-mannose, D-fructose and likely D-glucose as context-independent carbohydrates across all five mouse models. The utilization of D-galactose, N-acetylglucosamine and hexuronates, on the other hand, was context-dependent. Furthermore, we showed that D-fructose is important in strain-to-strain competition between Salmonella serovars. Complementary experiments confirmed that D-glucose, D-fructose, and D-galactose are excellent niches for S. Typhimurium to exploit during colonization. Quantitative measurements revealed sufficient amounts of carbohydrates, such as D-glucose or D-galactose, in the murine cecum to drive S. Typhimurium colonization. Understanding these key substrates and their context-dependent or -independent use by enteric pathogens will inform the future design of probiotics and therapeutics to prevent diarrheal infections such as non-typhoidal salmonellosis.