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Updated: May 29, 2025
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Analyses of Murine Intestinal Microbiota After Oral Antibiotic Treatment
Published on: November 17, 2018
Antibiotic-associated changes in Akkermansia muciniphila alter its effects on host metabolic health
Yumin Han1, Teh Min Teng1, Juwon Han1
1Division of Biosystems & Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, 145 Anam-Ro, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02841, Korea.
Background:
Altered gut microbiota has emerged as a major contributing factor to the etiology of chronic conditions in humans. Antibiotic exposure, historically dating back to the mass production of penicillin in the early 1940s, has been proposed as a primary contributor to the cumulative alteration of microbiota over generations. However, the mechanistic link between the antibiotics-altered microbiota and chronic conditions remains unclear.
Results:
In this study, we discovered that variants of the key beneficial gut microbe, Akkermansia muciniphila, were selected upon exposure to penicillin. These variants had mutations in the promoter of a TEM-type β-lactamase gene or pur genes encoding the de novo purine biosynthesis pathway, and they exhibited compromised abilities to mitigate host obesity in a murine model. Notably, variants of A. muciniphila are prevalent in the human microbiome worldwide.
Conclusions:
These findings highlight a previously unknown mechanism through which antibiotics influence host health by affecting the beneficial capacities of the key gut microbes. Furthermore, the global prevalence of A. muciniphila variants raises the possibility that these variants contribute to global epidemics of chronic conditions, warranting further investigations in human populations. Video Abstract.
Insights
Antibiotic exposure, like penicillin, can alter beneficial gut microbes such as Akkermansia muciniphila. These altered microbes show reduced ability to combat obesity, potentially linking antibiotic use to chronic conditions.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Gut health
- Antibiotic effects
Background:
- Altered gut microbiota is linked to chronic human diseases.
- Antibiotic exposure, particularly penicillin, is a suspected driver of long-term microbiota changes.
- The precise mechanisms connecting antibiotic-altered microbiota to chronic conditions are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of penicillin exposure on the gut microbe Akkermansia muciniphila.
- To identify genetic changes in A. muciniphila resulting from antibiotic exposure.
- To assess the functional consequences of these changes on host health, specifically obesity mitigation.
Main Methods:
- Exposure of a murine model to penicillin.
- Identification of genetic variants in Akkermansia muciniphila.
- Assessment of obesity mitigation capabilities in A. muciniphila variants using a murine model.
Main Results:
- Penicillin exposure selected for variants of Akkermansia muciniphila.
- These variants possessed mutations in TEM-type β-lactamase or pur genes involved in purine biosynthesis.
- A. muciniphila variants demonstrated impaired ability to mitigate host obesity in mice.
- These variants are globally prevalent in the human microbiome.
Conclusions:
- Antibiotics can impair the beneficial functions of key gut microbes like A. muciniphila through genetic selection.
- The widespread presence of these antibiotic-selected A. muciniphila variants may contribute to the global burden of chronic diseases.
- Further human population studies are necessary to confirm the role of these variants in chronic condition epidemics.
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