Shari A. Jones

TL;DR: Compared the pathogenic strain and the commensal E. coli strain MG1655 modes of metabolism in vitro, it is found that the two strains used the 13 sugars in a similar order and cometabolized as many as 9 sugars at a time.

TL;DR: There is evidence that aerobic respiration is required for commensal and pathogenic Escherichia coli to colonize mice, and the results indicate that success of the facultative anaerobes in the intestine depends on their respiratory flexibility.

TL;DR: It is found that by providing a constant supply of a readily metabolized sugar, i.e., gluconate, in the animal's drinking water, the competitive disadvantage of E. coli glycogen metabolism mutants is rescued, suggesting that glycogen storage may be widespread in enteric bacteria because it is necessary for maintaining rapid growth in the intestine.

TL;DR: E. coli is the only bacterium in the streptomycin-treated mouse large intestine that respires nitrate, and gene regulation is tuned to balance expression of the terminal reductases that E. coli uses to maximize its competitiveness and achieve the highest possible population in the intestine.

TL;DR: The results demonstrate that, contrary to prior reports, iron acquisition via catecholate siderophores plays a fundamental role in bacterial colonization of the murine intestinal tract.