Abstract
Microorganisms form symbiotic partnerships with eukaryotes that span all evolutionary stages, from simple amoebae through to humans. The term symbiosis originates from the Greek word “Symbioun” meaning “to live together” and was defined by Anton deBary in 1879 as “the living together of two dissimilar organisms, usually in intimate association, and usually to the benefit of at least one partner” (De Bary, 1879). Whilst the original deBary definition encompasses pathogens and commensals, the term “microbial symbiont” is most commonly used to describe a microorganism that forms a mutualism—a specific, stable and beneficial association with its host (Nyholm and Graf, 2012). Importantly, symbiotic members are “partners” and whilst the term “host” may imply that one partner accommodates or facilitates the association, both members of microbial mutualisms actively contribute to the relationship and the term “host” merely indicates the larger partner. This Grand Challenge Article briefly summarizes the current state of microbial symbiosis research and identifies the methodological and conceptual challenges facing the field into the future.
Highlights
Microorganisms form symbiotic partnerships with eukaryotes that span all evolutionary stages, from simple amoebae through to humans
Microbial symbioses are generally categorized as parasitism, commensalism, or mutualism, though some relationships may wander across these defined boundaries depending on evolutionary processes, changes in environmental conditions and/or health state of the host/symbiont
Beneficial microbial infections whereby hosts gain resources or services that enhance their fitness are known to be just as ubiquitous as parasitic ones and are rapidly gaining research traction. Research on both parasitic and mutualistic associations provide insights into the mechanisms of host-symbiont interactions, such as recognition / specificity adaptations etc., and challenges for the field of microbial symbiosis research can largely be considered independent of the nature of the interaction
Summary
Microorganisms form symbiotic partnerships with eukaryotes that span all evolutionary stages, from simple amoebae through to humans. Research on both parasitic and mutualistic associations provide insights into the mechanisms of host-symbiont interactions, such as recognition / specificity adaptations etc., and challenges for the field of microbial symbiosis research can largely be considered independent of the nature of the interaction.
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