Predation significantly affects bacterial commu- nities (Rønn et al., 2002; Blanc et al., 2006), and many bacteria evolved defence mechanisms such as the production of toxins. Toxic exoproducts protect bacteria by repelling predators, resulting in prey- switching towards more palatable prey (...
the early stages of an infection however, before the bacteria are able to gain access to the intra-cellular niche in which they are known to thrive. Once the bacteria have established an intra-cellular infection cell mediated immune mechanisms are required for efficient eradication of the pathogen...