mSphere of Influence: The power of polymicrobial partnerships in chronic infection research

Chelsey VanDrisse works in the field of microbial physiology, studying how acylation of small molecules and proteins affects the development of Pseudomonas biofilms. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on the paper “Community composition shapes microbial-specific phenotypes in a cystic fibrosis polymicrobial model system” by Jean-Pierre et al. This paper prompted her to reassess her approach to studying antibiotic tolerance and her design of experiments that search for disease-relevant mutants and phenotypes in the laboratory.