Co-evolution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with Acanthamoeba castellanii

Many virulence traits of microorganisms are regulated in response to the environment in order to invade a host, obtain resources, defend against predation by heterotrophic protists, or establish a replication niche. The evolution of virulence is a long-standing subject of investigation with important implications for human health. The opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is ubiquitous in the environment, and in humans is capable of causing acute and chronic infections. The aim of this study was to investigate how co-evolving P. aeruginosa with its protist predator Acanthamoeba castellanii would affect its virulence.