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Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: trimethoprim resistant organisms during treatment
Insights
Children undergoing acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment show significantly higher rates of gut bacteria resistant to trimethoprim compared to healthy children. This resistance emerged intermittently during therapy.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Pediatric Oncology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in health and disease.
- Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health concern.
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment often involves antibiotics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of trimethoprim-resistant organisms in the gut flora of children with ALL.
- To compare this prevalence with a control group of healthy children.
- To observe the emergence patterns of trimethoprim resistance during ALL treatment.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study design was employed.
- Gut flora samples were analyzed for trimethoprim resistance.
- A comparison was made between children with ALL and a control population.
- A longitudinal component tracked resistance emergence during treatment.
Main Results:
- A significantly higher prevalence of trimethoprim-resistant bacteria was found in children with ALL (61%) compared to controls (14%).
- The emergence of these resistant organisms during treatment was observed to be intermittent.
- This suggests a dynamic interplay between leukemia treatment and gut microbial resistance.
Conclusions:
- Children undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia have a substantially increased risk of harboring trimethoprim-resistant gut bacteria.
- Intermittent emergence of resistance during therapy highlights the need for careful monitoring.
- Findings underscore the impact of cancer treatment on the gut microbiome and antibiotic resistance patterns.
Abstract:
A cross sectional study was carried out in children receiving treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia to determine the prevalence of trimethoprim resistant organisms in their gut flora and to compare this with a control population. There was a significantly higher prevalence of trimethoprim resistant bacteria in the study group (61%) compared with controls (14%). A longitudinal study showed that emergence of these organisms was intermittent during treatment.