Remembering past infections: training exercise for gut microbes

Colonization resistance is considered a key defense strategy against infection with pathogens. In a recent study published in Cell , Stacy et al. identify and dissect a novel, active, microbiome-mediated molecular resistance mechanism; upon pathogenic infection, the “memorizing” microbiome develops a capacity of secreting taurine to restrict pathogen respiration, thereby inducing infection resistance to subsequent exposures.