Complicated bacterial infections, such as biofilm-associated infections and oftentimes septicemia, are difficult to diagnose and treat using conventional methods which are not always sensitive enough or effective. Bacterial secretion systems occur naturally across all bacterial species to enhance their survival, and the products of these pathways are a rich source of underutilized biomarkers. Further, these well-established pathways provide a genetic blueprint for engineering bacteria to produce and deliver therapeutic molecules to treat complex infections without damaging the microbiome. In this dissertation, I have uniquely leveraged bacterial secretion systems to analyze specific bacterial secretions as potential biomarkers and to engineer probiotic bacteria to secrete molecules in situ capable of suppressing biofilms.
