Healthy gut bacteria could prevent antibiotic-resistant bacteria from multiplying and settling in our gut. New research by the Leiden University Medical Center, the RIVM and the Amsterdam Medical Center shows that this does not apply to resistant E.coli bacteria. The results of the study have been published in The Lancet Microbe.
A healthy intestinal flora is important for health. It protects against infectious pathogens and contributes to the production of useful substances, such as certain vitamins. If the normal intestinal flora is disrupted, pathogenic bacteria can grow and affect health.
Scientists have investigated whether the composition of the intestinal flora protects against the acquisition and nesting of antibiotic-resistant E. coli bacteria in the intestines. The research was conducted among participants in the PIENTER project. This RIVM project is about how well the Dutch are protected against infectious diseases and whether this changes over time. Thousands of people participate in the study, who fill out an extensive questionnaire and make material such as stool available.
It appears that the intestinal flora of people in which an antibiotic-resistant E. coli is present does not differ from the composition of the intestinal flora of people without this resistant bacterium. This may mean that probiotics, which are made from healthy bacteria, will not help fight the antibiotic-resistant E.coli bacteria.
The results are striking because previous studies have shown that some bacterial species in the gut may be able to prevent antibiotic-resistant bacteria from settling there. However, those studies did not take into account lifestyle, origin, other diseases or drug use that could influence the acquisition of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the composition of the intestinal flora.
More information can be found in the publication ‘Gut colonisation by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and its association with the gut microbiome and metabolome in Dutch adults: a matched case-control study‘ in The Lancet Microbe.
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