Pathogenesis and commensalism of enterobacteria
Team 2
Research Program
The “Pathogenesis and Commensalism of Enterobacteriaceae” team, led by Eric Oswald, studies the boundary between bacterial commensalism and pathogenesis. It combines microbiology, molecular and cellular biology, and population genomics, along with animal infection models, to understand how certain Gram-negative bacteria modulate host cell physiology or alter genome integrity during acute as well as chronic infections, leading to the development of highly diverse pathologies ranging from sepsis to cancer. This work focuses on several Escherichia coli pathovars—enteropathogenic, enterohemorrhagic, and extraintestinal (EPEC, EHEC, ExPEC)—as well as commensal and probiotic E. coli, and is now expanding to Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A common thread connects these subjects of study: the factors that ensure successful intestinal colonization are often the same ones that render the bacteria pathogenic in a different ecological niche. The team’s research is structured around three main axes:
- Ecology of pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria
- Bacterial genotoxins
- Bacterial extracellular vesicles
Members
Bacterial genotoxins
Bacterial extracellular vesicles
Ecology of pathogenic and antimicrobial resistant bacteria
Management & Logistics
Selected publications
Comment un mécanisme de résistance aux antibiotiques favorise la virulence bactérienne. Audrey Goman, Lola Manenc, ..., Priscilla Branchu, Éric Oswald, médecine/sciences 2026. DOI: 10.1051/medsci/2025252
Development of intimin-enriched outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) as a vaccine to control intestinal carriage of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. Asja Garling, Cécile Goursat, Carine Séguy, ..., Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, Éric Oswald, Frédéric Auvray, Priscilla Branchu, Vaccine 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.126899
Humans as a potential reservoir for the emerging ST301 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli clones of serotype O80:H2?. Frédéric Auvray, Federica Gigliucci, ..., Laurent Cavalié, ..., Éric Oswald, Clinical Microbiology and Infection 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2025.05.018
Rethinking the role of animals in antimicrobial resistance. Elissa Khamisse, Xavier Bertrand, ..., Éric Oswald, The Lancet Microbe 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2025.101248
Kinetics of molecular patterns captured by mannose-binding lectin in septic shock correlate with clinical outcome: a monocentric prospective observational study. A. Bicart-See, Fanny Vardon Bounes, ..., Éric Oswald, Intensive Care Medicine Experimental 2025. DOI: 10.1186/s40635-025-00832-x
Zoonotic potential of uropathogenic Escherichia coli lineages from companion animals. Nicolas Jousserand, Frédéric Auvray, Camille V. Chagneau, Laurent Cavalié, ..., Éric Oswald, Veterinary Research 2025. DOI: 10.1186/s13567-025-01493-0
Uncovering a new family of conserved virulence factors that promote the production of host‐damaging outer membrane vesicles in Gram‐negative bacteria. Audrey Goman, Bérengère Ize, ..., Camille V. Chagneau, Hélène Guet‐Revillet, Frédéric E. Taieb, ..., Laure David, ..., Priscilla Branchu, Éric Oswald, Journal of Extracellular Vesicles 2025. DOI: 10.1002/jev2.70032
Bacterial nanoparticles as a potent and safe alternative to BCG for bladder cancer immunotherapy. Marine Colson, Arthur Aubry, ..., Éric Oswald, Laure David, Cancer Gene Therapy 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41417-025-00984-8
Outer Membrane Vesicles as a Versatile Platform for Vaccine Development: Engineering Strategies, Applications and Challenges. Asja Garling, Frédéric Auvray, ..., Éric Oswald, Priscilla Branchu, Journal of Extracellular Vesicles 2025. DOI: 10.1002/jev2.70150
Prevalence and characterization of the seven major serotypes of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in veal calves slaughtered in France. Frédéric Auvray, Clémence Bièche-Terrier, ..., Éric Oswald, ..., Hubert Brugère, Veterinary Microbiology 2023. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2023.109754
HlyF, an underestimated virulence factor of uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Camille V. Chagneau, Delphine Payros, ..., Carine Séguy, Clémence Massip, Priscilla Branchu, ..., Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, ..., Éric Oswald, Clinical Microbiology and Infection 2023. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2023.07.024
Oxygen concentration modulates colibactin production. Nadège Bossuet‐Greif, Cécile Guyonnet, Camille V. Chagneau, ..., Marie Pénary, ..., Priscilla Branchu, Éric Oswald, Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, Gut Microbes 2023. DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2023.2222437
Wild Boars as Reservoir of Highly Virulent Clone of Hybrid Shiga Toxigenic and Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Responsible for Edema Disease, France. Alexandre Perrat, Priscilla Branchu, ..., Hubert Brugère, Frédéric Auvray, Éric Oswald, Emerging Infectious Diseases 2022. DOI: 10.3201/eid2802.211491
Outer membrane vesicles produced by pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli block autophagic flux and exacerbate inflammasome activation. Laure David, Frédéric E. Taieb, Marie Pénary, ..., Éric Oswald, Autophagy 2022. DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2022.2054040
A novel toxic effect of foodborne trichothecenes: The exacerbation of genotoxicity. Marion Garofalo, Delphine Payros, Marie Pénary, Éric Oswald, Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, et al., Environmental Pollution 2022. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120625
Uncoupling the Hsp90 and DnaK chaperone activities revealed the in vivo relevance of their collaboration in bacteria. Marie Corteggiani, Nadège Bossuet‐Greif, Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, ..., Éric Oswald, et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2022. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201779119
The pks island: a bacterial Swiss army knife? Colibactin: beyond DNA damage and cancer. Camille V. Chagneau, Delphine Payros, ..., Frédéric Auvray, Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, Éric Oswald, Trends in Microbiology 2022. DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.05.010
A Toxic Friend: Genotoxic and Mutagenic Activity of the Probiotic Strain Escherichia coli Nissle 1917. Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, Camille V. Chagneau, Jean‐Paul Motta, Nadège Bossuet‐Greif, ..., Frédéric E. Taieb, ..., Éric Oswald, mSphere 2021. DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00624-21
Uropathogenic E. coli induces DNA damage in the bladder. Camille V. Chagneau, Clémence Massip, Nadège Bossuet‐Greif, ..., Jean‐Paul Motta, ..., Marie‐Paule Roth, Hélène Coppin, ..., Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, Éric Oswald, PLOS Pathogens 2021. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009310
Insights into evolution and coexistence of the colibactin- and yersiniabactin secondary metabolite determinants in enterobacterial populations. Haleluya Tesfaye Wami, Alexander Wallenstein, ..., Éric Oswald, et al., Microbial Genomics 2021. DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000577
The Genotoxin Colibactin Shapes Gut Microbiota in Mice. Sophie Tronnet, Pauline Floch, ..., Éric Oswald, mSphere 2020. DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00589-20
Deciphering the interplay between the genotoxic and probiotic activities of Escherichia coli Nissle 1917. Clémence Massip, Priscilla Branchu, Nadège Bossuet‐Greif, Camille V. Chagneau, ..., Damien Dubois, Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, Éric Oswald, PLOS Pathogens 2019. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008029
The Colibactin Genotoxin Generates DNA Interstrand Cross-Links in Infected Cells. Nadège Bossuet‐Greif, Julien Vignard, Frédéric E. Taieb, ..., Damien Dubois, ..., Éric Oswald, Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, mBio 2018. DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02393-17
The Food Contaminant Deoxynivalenol Exacerbates the Genotoxicity of Gut Microbiota. Delphine Payros, Ulrich Dobrindt, ..., Éric Oswald, et al., mBio 2017. DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00007-17
Retrograde Trafficking Inhibitor of Shiga Toxins Reduces Morbidity and Mortality of Mice Infected with Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. Thomas Sécher, Ayaka Shima, ..., Éric Oswald, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 2015. DOI: 10.1128/aac.00455-15
The Genotoxin Colibactin Exacerbates Lymphopenia and Decreases Survival Rate in Mice Infected With Septicemic Escherichia coli. Ingrid Marcq, P. Martin, ..., Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, ..., Éric Oswald, Journal of Infectious Diseases 2014. DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiu071
Interplay between Siderophores and Colibactin Genotoxin Biosynthetic Pathways in Escherichia coli. Patricia Martín, Ingrid Marcq, ..., Marie Pénary, ..., Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, ..., Éric Oswald, PLoS Pathogens 2013. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003437
Escherichia coli induces DNA damage in vivo and triggers genomic instability in mammalian cells. Gabriel Cuevas Ramos, Claude R. Petit, ..., Éric Oswald, Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2010. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1001261107
Pathogenic Bacteria Target NEDD8-Conjugated Cullins to Hijack Host-Cell Signaling Pathways. Grégory Jubelin, Frédéric E. Taieb, ..., Marie Pénary, ..., Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, ..., Éric Oswald, PLoS Pathogens 2010. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1001128
Escherichia coli Induces DNA Double-Strand Breaks in Eukaryotic Cells. Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, Stefan Homburg, Frédéric E. Taieb, ..., Éric Oswald, Science 2006. DOI: 10.1126/science.1127059
Role of Tir and Intimin in the Virulence of Rabbit EnteropathogenicEscherichia coliSerotype O103:H2. Olivier Marchès, Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, ..., Éric Oswald, Infection and Immunity 2000. DOI: 10.1128/iai.68.4.2171-2182.2000
A new cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) from Escherichia coli producing CNF2 blocks HeLa cell division in G2/M phase. Sylvie Y. Pérès, Olivier Marchès, ..., Jean‐Philippe Nougayrède, ..., Éric Oswald, Molecular Microbiology 1997. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2958.1997.4181785.x
