Recent research from the University of Oregon and the University of California Irvine has uncovered how harmful bacteria trigger pain in the intestines. The study focused on Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium responsible for cholera.
Building on previous findings that this bacterium causes intestinal contractions in zebrafish, researchers investigated the underlying mechanisms. They discovered that the response stems from physical changes in the intestines rather than chemical signals.
Through their analysis, the team observed that immune cells known as macrophages were redistributed to areas of tissue damage caused by the bacteria. This disruption in normal macrophage function leads to unregulated activity in intestinal neurons, resulting in significant intestinal contractions.
Bio-physicist Raghu Parthasarathy noted the dynamic nature of these cells, with macrophages moving through the fish and neurons and muscles actively responding. Interestingly, the immune system of zebrafish shares similarities with that of humans, suggesting that these findings may also apply to human intestines.
The mechanism serves a dual purpose: it helps eliminate potential threats while allowing the bacteria to escape more rapidly from competitors and infect new hosts. Microbiologist Karen Guillemin explained that if macrophages are addressing an injury, it is logical for neurons to react by expelling contents from the intestines.
Researchers highlight the need for further investigation into how the nervous and immune systems collaborate to combat infections and maintain health. Currently, this study enhances the understanding of intestinal responses to invading bacteria.
The implications of these findings could extend to various types of bacteria and may eventually inform treatments for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Guillemin emphasized that this is not a unique behavior of Vibrio but rather a broader response to bacterial invasion.
The research was published in mBio.