Adaptive discrimination between non-tuberculous mycobacteria by Caenorhabditis elegans.

Authors

Rashi Mittal, Abinaya P, Rajesh S Gokhale, Arnab Mukhopadhyay

Published in

microPublication biology. Volume 2026. Epub Jul 08, 2026.

Abstract

Caenorhabditis elegans modifies its behaviour in response to bacterial cues, but its ability to distinguish between closely related environmental bacteria remains unclear. Here, we examine responses to non-tuberculous mycobacteria, the opportunistic pathogen Mycobacterium abscessus and the non-pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis . While Escherichia coli OP50 was the preferred choice when available, worms showed distinct, time-dependent responses to the mycobacterial species. Notably, prior exposure to M. smegmatis drove faster and stronger avoidance of M. abscessus than exposure to the pathogen itself. These findings thus show that C. elegans can rapidly and adaptively discriminate between closely related mycobacteria, highlighting how prior experience shapes behavioural decisions.

PMID:
42502756
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 26 Jul 2026.

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