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Microbiome-mediated fructose depletion restricts murine gut colonization by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
Sandrine Isaac1,2, Alejandra Flor-Duro3, Gloria Carruana3
1Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana - FISABIO, Valencia, Spain. isaacsandrine8488@gmail.com.
Nature Communications
|December 13, 2022
Summary
Certain gut bacteria can prevent vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) colonization by depleting nutrients like fructose. This discovery offers a new non-antibiotic strategy to combat multidrug-resistant organism infections.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Gut Microbiome Research
- Infectious Disease Prevention
Background:
- Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) pose a significant public health risk.
- Intestinal colonization by MDROs, like vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), precedes infection.
- The role of the gut microbiota in suppressing MDRO colonization is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify specific gut bacteria that inhibit MDRO colonization.
- Elucidate the mechanisms by which the microbiota prevents MDRO colonization.
- Explore novel non-antibiotic strategies for preventing MDRO infections.
Main Methods:
- Utilized metagenomics and mouse models simulating antibiotic exposure.
- Employed transcriptomics, metabolomics, and in vivo assays.
- Conducted in vivo RNA-seq and ex vivo/in vivo bacterial assays.
Main Results:
- Identified specific commensal bacteria protective against VRE colonization.
- A five-strain consortium effectively restricted VRE gut colonization in mice.
- Discovered nutrient depletion, specifically fructose reduction, as a key inhibitory mechanism.
- A single bacterial species, Olsenella sp., replicated the consortium's protective effect.
Conclusions:
- Specific commensal bacteria can prevent VRE intestinal colonization through nutrient depletion.
- This mechanism represents a novel, non-antibiotic approach to combat MDRO infections.
- Targeting nutrient availability in the gut offers a promising strategy for infection prevention.
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