The Dynamics of Interacting Bacterial and Fungal Communities of the Mouse Colon Following Antibiotics

We tested two hypotheses concerning the dynamics of intestinal microbial communities of young mice following antibiotic-induced disturbance. The first is that disturbance of the bacterial community causes disturbance of the fungal community. Our results were consistent with that hypothesis. Antibiotics significantly altered bacterial community structure. Antibiotics also altered fungal community structure, significantly increasing the relative abundance of Candida lusitaniae, a known pathogen, while simultaneously significantly decreasing the relative abundances of several other common fungal species. The result was a temporary decrease in fungal diversity. Moreover, bacterial load was negatively correlated with the relative abundances of Candida lusitaniae and Candida parapsilosis, while it was positively correlated with the relative abundances of many other fungal species. Our second hypothesis is that control mice serve as a source of probiotics capable of invading intestines of mice with disturbed microbial communities and restoring pre-antibiotic bacterial and fungal communities. However, we found that control mice did not restore disturbed microbial communities. Instead, mice with disturbed microbial communities induced disturbance in control mice, consistent with the hypothesis that antibiotic-induced disturbance represents an alternate stable state that is easier to achieve than to correct. Our results indicate the occurrence of significant interactions among intestinal bacteria and fungi and suggest that the stimulation of certain bacterial groups may potentially be useful in countering the dominance of fungal pathogens such as Candida spp. However, the stability of disturbed microbial communities could complicate recovery.