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Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes
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Gut microbiome features and resistome elements associated with colonization and infection with antibiotic-resistance

Maliha Batool1, Stephanie McMahon1,2, Samantha Franklin1,2

  • 1Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.

Gut Microbes Reports
|March 30, 2026
PubMed

Insights

The gut microbiome in acute myeloid leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy may predict antimicrobial-resistant infections. Lower baseline microbial diversity and specific functional pathways indicate a higher risk, informing treatment strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Oncology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Antimicrobial-resistant (AR) pathogens cause significant morbidity and mortality in hematological malignancies.
  • Gut microbiome dynamics in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and their impact on AR infections (ARI) or colonization (ARC) are poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the gut microbiome's role in predicting ARI and/or ARC in AML patients undergoing induction chemotherapy.
  • To identify baseline microbiome, resistome, and functional pathway biomarkers associated with AR events.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal stool samples from 154 AML patients were analyzed.
  • Methods included 16S rRNA sequencing, culturing, MALDI-TOF, VITEK2, and shotgun metagenomic sequencing.
  • Baseline samples were analyzed for taxa abundance, resistome, and KEGG pathways.

Main Results:

  • Patients with AR events had lower baseline observed species (p=0.01).
  • Penicillin and cephalosporin biosynthesis pathways were significantly enriched in patients with ARC.
  • While some baseline taxa were more abundant in AR-event patients, significance was lost after false discovery correction.

Conclusions:

  • Baseline gut microbiome features, including diversity and functional pathways, may serve as biomarkers for forecasting ARI and/or ARC risk in AML patients.
  • Identifying these biomarkers can inform personalized antimicrobial treatment strategies.
  • Further research into microbiome-targeted interventions is warranted.
Keywords:
Shotgun metagenomicsantimicrobial-resistant infectionscolonizationgut microbiomeresistome

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