Effect of antibiotic pre-treatment and pathogen challenge on the intestinal microbiota in mice. Issue 1 (December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Iizumi, Tadasu; Taniguchi, Takako; Yamazaki, Wataru; Vilmen, Geraldine; Alekseyenko, Alexander; Gao, Zhan; Perez Perez, Guillermo; Blaser, Martin
• Is Part Of: Gut pathogens. Volume 8:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 10
• Publication Date: 2016-12
• Subjects: Microbiome -- Antibiotic treatment -- Pathogen challenge -- Penicillin -- Ciprofloxacin -- Campylobacter jejuni -- Acinetobacter baumannii -- High-throughput sequencing -- Next-generation sequencing; Gastrointestinal system -- Microbiology -- Periodicals; 616.3
• DOI: 10.1186/s13099-016-0143-z
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1757-4749

Abstract

Abstract Background More than 50 years after the discovery of antibiotics, bacterial infections have decreased substantially; however, antibiotics also may have negative effects such as increasing susceptibility to pathogens. An intact microbiome is an important line of defense against pathogens. We sought to determine the effect of orally administered antibiotics both on susceptibility to pathogens and on impact to the microbiome. We studiedCampylobacter jejuni, one of the most common causes of human diarrhea, andAcinetobacter baumannii, which causes wound infections. We examined the effects of antibiotic treatment on the susceptibility of mice to those pathogens as well as their influence on the mouse gut microbiome. Results In C57/BL6 mice models, we explored the effects of pathogen challenge, and antibiotic treatment on the intestinal microbiota. Mice were treated with either ciprofloxacin, penicillin, or water (control) for a 5-day period followed by a 5-day washout period prior to oral challenge withC. jejuni orA. baumannii to assess antibiotic effects on colonization susceptibility. Mice were successfully colonized withC. jejuni more than 118 days, but only transiently withA. baumannii . These challenges did not lead to any major effects on the composition of the gut microbiota. Although antibiotic pre-treatment did not modify pathogen colonization, it affected richness and community structure of the gut microbiome. However, the antibiotic dysbiosis was significantly reduced by pathogen challenge. Conclusions We conclude that despite gut microbiota disturbance, susceptibility to gut colonization by these pathogens was unchanged. The major gut microbiome disturbance produced by antibiotic treatment may be reduced by colonization with specific microbial taxa.