A temperature-induced metabolic shift in the emerging human pathogen <i>Photorhabdus asymbiotica</i>

<i>Photorhabdus</i> bacterial species contain both human and insect pathogens, and most of these species cannot grow in higher temperatures. However, <i>Photorhabdus asymbiotica</i>, which infects both humans and insects, can grow in higher temperatures and undergoes metabolic adaptations at a temperature of 37°C compared to that of insect body temperature. Therefore, it is important to examine how this bacterial species can metabolically adapt to survive in higher temperatures. In this work, using a mathematical model, we have examined the metabolic shift that takes place when the bacteria switch from growth conditions in 28°C to 37°C. We show that <i>P. asymbiotica</i> potentially experiences predicted temperature-induced metabolic adaptations at 37°C predominantly clustered within the nucleotide metabolism pathway.