Investigating plasmid-borne osmotolerance in human gut microbiota.

The human gut microbiome is critical to health and wellbeing. It hosts a complex ecosystem comprising a multitude of bacterial species, which contributes functionality that would otherwise be absent from the host. Transient and commensal bacteria in the gut must withstand many stresses. The influence of mobile genetic elements such as plasmids in stress adaptation within the ecosystem is relatively unknown. We found evidence for plasmid mediated osmotolerance as a phenotype amongst the Proteobacteria in healthy faecal slurries. Pyrosequencing and DNA analysis may demonstrate the presence of plasmid-borne osmotolerance systems.