Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli pduB drives vitamin B(12)-dependent colitis in mice.

Vitamin B12 availability modulates pduB-dependent virulence of AIEC, reducing colitis severity in mice by up to 80%.

• Why it matters: Understanding how host micronutrients influence bacterial virulence can reveal new strategies to treat inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease, where AIEC plays a key role.
• What they did: The study used gene deletion and vitamin B12 supplementation in mouse models to investigate AIEC virulence, focusing on the pduB gene within the 1,2-propanediol utilization pathway.
• The result: Vitamin B12 supplementation inhibited AIEC invasion and protected mice from colitis, highlighting vitamin B12 as a modifiable factor that could lead to novel therapeutic approaches for intestinal inflammation.