Ecological Modeling from Time-Series Inference: Insight into Dynamics and Stability of Intestinal Microbiota Journal Article


Authors: Stein, R. R.; Bucci, V.; Toussaint, N. C.; Buffie, C. G.; Rätsch, G.; Pamer, E. G.; Sander, C.; Xavier, J. B.
Article Title: Ecological Modeling from Time-Series Inference: Insight into Dynamics and Stability of Intestinal Microbiota
Abstract: The intestinal microbiota is a microbial ecosystem of crucial importance to human health. Understanding how the microbiota confers resistance against enteric pathogens and how antibiotics disrupt that resistance is key to the prevention and cure of intestinal infections. We present a novel method to infer microbial community ecology directly from time-resolved metagenomics. This method extends generalized Lotka-Volterra dynamics to account for external perturbations. Data from recent experiments on antibiotic-mediated Clostridium difficile infection is analyzed to quantify microbial interactions, commensal-pathogen interactions, and the effect of the antibiotic on the community. Stability analysis reveals that the microbiota is intrinsically stable, explaining how antibiotic perturbations and C. difficile inoculation can produce catastrophic shifts that persist even after removal of the perturbations. Importantly, the analysis suggests a subnetwork of bacterial groups implicated in protection against C. difficile. Due to its generality, our method can be applied to any high-resolution ecological time-series data to infer community structure and response to external stimuli. © 2013 Stein et al.
Journal Title: PLoS Computational Biology
Volume: 9
Issue: 12
ISSN: 1553-7358
Publisher: Public Library of Science  
Date Published: 2013-12-12
Start Page: e1003388
Language: English
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003388
PROVIDER: scopus
PMCID: PMC3861043
PUBMED: 24348232
DOI/URL:
Notes: Export Date: 3 March 2014 -- Source: Scopus
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MSK Authors
  1. Eric Pamer
    283 Pamer
  2. Vanni Bucci
    8 Bucci
  3. Chris Sander
    210 Sander
  4. Joao Debivar Xavier
    97 Xavier
  5. Gunnar Ratsch
    68 Ratsch
  6. Richard Rainer Stein
    3 Stein
  7. Charlie G Buffie
    7 Buffie