ArticleNature microbiology2026
Colibactin produced by a honeybee gut symbiont mediates pathogen defence.
Article in Nature microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Colibactin beyond carcinogenesis.Nature microbiology · 2026Article
- Chemiluminescent Probes Allow for the Rapid Identification of Colibactin-Producing Bacteria.JACS Au · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Colibactin is a bacterial genotoxin that damages DNA and is linked to colorectal cancer. It is implicated in interbacterial competition but its role in natural microbiomes is unclear. Here we show that Frischella perrara, a colibactin-producing symbiont restricted to honeybee guts, lowers bee lifespan but increases survivorship following challenge with the opportunistic bee pathogen Serratia marcescens. F. perrara mutants lacking colibactin production fail to improve survivorship following challenge. The symbiont reduces pathogen loads by causing colibactin-dependent DNA damage and prophage induction. Colibactin is toxic to the pathogen under anoxic conditions, reflecting the bee gut. clbS, a gene conferring protection from colibactin, is ubiquitous among bacteria restricted to bee guts but absent from opportunistic colonizers, including pathogens. Indeed, F. perrara colonization representing colibactin pressure had limited impact on the bee gut microbiome where strains encode clbS. Our findings suggest that colibactin functions in interbacterial competition and protects against pathogens while permitting co-evolved symbionts to persist.
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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.