Summary
Published in Nature Reviews Microbiology (Vol. 21, Issue 6, pp. 347–360), this 2023 review by Caballero-Flores and colleagues provides a comprehensive synthesis of the mechanisms by which commensal gut microbiota confer protection against pathogen establishment. The paper likely covers competitive nutrient exclusion, bacteriocin and short-chain fatty acid production, and microbiota-mediated immune priming as key resistance strategies. It is likely to be a high-authority reference work given the journal's scope and the structured page range consistent with a commissioned review article.
UK applicability
Whilst not UK-specific, the findings are broadly applicable to UK public health contexts, including antibiotic stewardship policy, management of Clostridioides difficile infection in NHS settings, and dietary guidance aimed at maintaining a resilient gut microbiome.
Key measures
Mechanistic pathways of colonisation resistance; microbiota composition and functional outputs; host immune interactions; risk factors for colonisation failure
Outcomes reported
The review examines the mechanistic basis by which the resident gut microbiota prevents colonisation by enteric pathogens, likely covering competitive exclusion, antimicrobial metabolite production, and immune modulation. It synthesises current understanding of how disruption of these mechanisms (e.g. via antibiotics or dietary change) predisposes the host to infection.
Topic tags
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