ReviewJournal of bacteriology2012
Virulence or niche factors: what's in a name?
Review in Journal of bacteriology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed.
- Temporal dynamics of gut biosynthetic gene clusters link persistent colonization and engraftment in fecal microbiota transplantation.Gut microbes · 2026Article
- Comparative genomic analysis ofMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Whole-Genome Sequence Analysis and Probiotic Characterization of 5-Methoxytryptophan-Producing StrainMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- A next-generation probiotic strain for gut health: Bacteroides cellulosilyticus LYH2 variant with anti-inflammatory and metabolic advantages.EBioMedicine · 2026Article
- Assessment of pathogenic potential in non-pathogenic industrially relevant bacteria.Access microbiology · 2026Article
- Longitudinal study of the udder microbiome using genome-centric metagenomics uncovers pathogen-driven adaptation and succession.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2025Article
- Complete genome sequence of Pseudolactococcus raffinolactis strain GCULR from a spotted seal (Phoca largha) in Korea.BMC genomic data · 2025Article
- Bacterial infections and pathogenic situations: The case ofVirulence · 2025Review
- De novo virulence feature discovery and risk assessment in Klebsiella pneumoniae based on microbial genome vectorization.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Probiotic potential and safety assessment of bacteriocinogenicFrontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- The Potential of Co-Fermentation withFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- PathogenicbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Growth Control ofFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- First comparative genomics analysis of Corynebacterium auriscanis.Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz · 2024Article
- Review of the Impact of Biofilm Formation on RecurrentMicroorganisms · 2023Review
- Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing Revealed the Prebiotic Potential of a Fruit Juice Drink with Fermentable Fibres in Healthy Humans.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Efficacy of Copper-Doped Phosphate Glass on Pathogenic Bacteria.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Urinary Microbiome of Reproductive-Age Asymptomatic European Women.Microbiology spectrum · 2022Article
- Safety Evaluation of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis CIDCA 133: a Health-Promoting Bacteria.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2022Article
- Metagenomic Insights Into the Changes of Antibiotic Resistance and Pathogenicity Factor Pools Upon Thermophilic Composting of Human Excreta.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The increasing interest in the human microbiota raises some interesting questions about the terminology we use to describe some of the structures and strategies employed by commensal and pathogenic microbes to compete in these complex biological ecosystems. For example, all microbes arriving in the alimentary tract face the task of surviving passage through the stomach, coping with bile, interacting with the immune system, competing with the established microbiota, and obtaining sufficient nutrients to gain a foothold in this hostile environment. It is not surprising then that many gastrointestinal microbes (both pathogens and commensals) use similar strategies to overcome the challenges associated with this particular biological niche. Given that many of these structures and strategies were discovered and characterized in pathogens and because they often play important roles in establishing and maintaining an infection, they have often been characterized as virulence factors. It would be misleading to describe the same strategies and structures found in harmless commensals as "virulence factors," since they represent a sine qua non for life in the gastrointestinal tract. It may be time to reconsider and refer to them as "niche factors," both in terms of providing scientific accuracy but also in light of the growing interest in using gut microbes as probiotics, where the distinction between virulence factors and niche factors is likely to be very important from a regulatory perspective.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.