Bacterial wars

Wherever bacteria meet, they start to interact. And these interactions can be collaborative, cooperative or competitive. When bacteria compete, they can engage in truly complex microscopic wars, fighting for food, the environment, space or nutrients – everything that ensures their own survival.

To fight, bacteria use both complex and sophisticated weapons and strong antimicrobial toxins. They can shoot these toxins directly into a competitor or throw the toxins at them. Bacterial wars are highly complex and have huge impacts on the ecology, environment and even our health.

How bacteria in your gut microbiome defend pathogens

Bacteria in your gut microbiome help you digest your food, strengthen your immune system and keep you healthy. For this, your gut bacteria keep you free from gut pathogenic bacteria by fighting them with different weapons. Here, we explore some ways gut bacteria defend pathogens and how you can help them protect you.

Bacterial killer weapons as biocontrol to protect plants

To feed the growing population on our planet, we need to improve our agriculture for plants to stay healthy and produce crops efficiently. One way to protect plants from diseases is to use biocontrol bacteria that actively kill intruding pathogens. Hence, by increasing our food supply, bacteria can help us save this planet.

Bacteria use antibiotics to kill their foes and protect others

We use antibiotics to kill bacteria and fungi. Yet, antibiotics are produced by these microbes to ensure their own survival in the environment. But not only microbes that produce antibiotics benefit from them, but often even other organisms. Read on to find out how antibiotics can help many players.

Bacteria have many different type 6 secretion system crossbows that they can choose from in specific times.

Nanoweapons make the killer differences in bacterial siblings

Bacteria can be harmless or dangerous to us and other organisms in the environment. But how does a bacterium become a fighter ready to kill others? It comes all down to their toxic bullets. Here we will look at how bacterial siblings use different weapons to fight off not only their enemies but also each other.

Bacteria use the type 6 secretion system (T6SS) to kill other bacteria with a crossbow and arrow.

Bacteria fire powerful and lethal arrows to kill their competitors

When bacteria fight competitors with their type 6 secretion system nanoweapons, they shoot deadly arrows. These arrows are made of specific parts that interact with each other in unique ways for each arrow. Here, we will look at these different parts: the tip, the spike and the toxin.

Chromombacterium transports violacein within outer membrane vesicles to kill other bacteria

Bacteria firing toxic bubbles

Bacteria can form outer membrane vesicles and fill them with antibiotics. They then send these toxic bubbles off to kill competing bacteria.

Whenever a bacterium delivers a toxin into a prey bacterium, it wants to hurt it real bad. This means, that a toxin generally targets any of the essential components of the prey bacterium to make sure there is no chance of survival.

The bacterial armoury

Bacteria developed lethal killing machines to deliver toxins into other organisms. These toxic bullets have different functions to break up essential components of the prey. Independent on what the target of the toxin is, the prey surely will not come out happy after that!

Vibrio bacteria use their T6SS killing machine for movement or DNA uptake.

Should I kill or should I go? Bacteria making decisions

Bacteria have powerful killing machines with which they carve out their own niches. To kill competitors, bacteria from the Vibrio family, have a powerful crossbow and its arrows availble. However, these bacteria can decide whether they risk a kill and take up what’s left of the dead prey or they escape the dangerous situation. Here, we look at how bacteria decide to kill or flee.

Bacteria use the type 6 secretion system (T6SS) to kill other bacteria with a crossbow and arrow.

A bacterial nanoweapon called the type 6 secretion system

Bacterial killing is happening everywhere where bacteria fight for space and nutrients. Some bacteria have highly efficient weapons to kill other microbes. These killer bacteria can survive in the rarest and driest environmental niches. Just by killing other bacteria.
What kind of fantastic nanoweapon is that?

Wherever bacteria meet, they start to interact. And these interactions can be collaborative, cooperative or competitive. When bacteria compete, they can engage in truly complex microscopic wars, fighting for food, the environment, space or nutrients – everything that ensures their own survival.

To fight, bacteria use both complex and sophisticated weapons and strong antimicrobial toxins. They can shoot these toxins directly into a competitor or throw the toxins at them. Bacterial wars are highly complex and have huge impacts on the ecology, environment and even our health.

Learn more about the fascinating world of bacteria