Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
08:33
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Analyses of Murine Intestinal Microbiota After Oral Antibiotic Treatment
Published on: November 17, 2018
Gut Microbiota Alterations Associated With Colonization by Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in ICU Patients: First
Andra-Elena Goicea1,2, Daniel-Corneliu Leucuța3, Constantin Bodolea1,4
1Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, "Iuliu Hațieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Microbiologyopen
|June 22, 2026
Summary
Critically ill patients colonized with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) exhibit altered intestinal microbiota, characterized by reduced diversity and specific bacterial shifts. This dysbiosis may offer targets for future prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Critical Care Medicine
- Genomics
Background:
- Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) pose significant risks for infection and mortality in critically ill patients.
- Current MDRO control strategies have variable effectiveness.
- The association between gut microbiota dysbiosis and MDRO colonization in critically ill patients remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze studies on intestinal microbiota structure and composition in MDRO-colonized versus non-colonized critically ill patients.
- To investigate potential links between dysbiosis and MDRO colonization in this vulnerable population.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus (inception to September 2025).
- Inclusion of 11 studies (n=2823 patients) published between 2019 and 2025.
- 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing used to assess intestinal microbiota diversity and composition.
Main Results:
- MDRO-colonized patients showed significantly lower microbial diversity (Shannon index: mean difference = -1.18; p < 0.001).
- Increased relative abundance of the Pseudomonadota phylum and Enterobacteriaceae family observed in colonized patients.
- Common colonizing MDROs included vancomycin-resistant Enterococci and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales.
Conclusions:
- Altered intestinal microbiota (dysbiosis) is consistently associated with MDRO colonization in critically ill patients.
- Findings are largely associational, highlighting the need for further research.
- Early detection of dysbiosis could aid in predicting MDRO colonization and guiding microbiota-based interventions.
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