Antimicrobial Heroes Gallery

Microbes can be both cooperative, sharing available resources and working together to gain maximum benefit from them, and competitive, trying to gain an advantage over other microbes. Typically, competition is seen more in dynamic situations, whereas cooperation tends to be evident in stable situations. Superimposed on competition and cooperation is predation by viruses, microbes and higher organisms, which recycles resources, forms the base of many food webs, and keeps ecosystems healthy. Competition and predation involve different strategies, mechanisms and weapons to kill microbes, weapons humans can repurpose and use to fight infections.