New evidence has emerged that shows how antibiotic resistant bacteria can travel from the gut to the lung. This discovery increases the risks of infections. The research comes from Oxford University, and it has been released during World Antimicrobial Awareness Week.
The research found how antibiotic resistant Pseudomonas bacteria translocate from the gut to the lungs. The significance is that the lungs are where life threatening infections could arise.
This came from an investigation into a patient that carried the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa as part of their gut microbiome. This species is one of the leading causes of infections in hospitals. The bacterium is generally not considered to be dangerous when it is part of the healthy gut microbiome. However, it can cause serious infections in the lungs of hospitalised patients.
Often the origin of bacteria that cause these serious infections is difficult to determine. This makes the study into pathogens that can translocate to the lung of great importance.
The researchers hope that by applying the findings of this study, medics can save lives.
With the case, the patient was treated with an antibiotic called Meropenem. This was recommended for a suspected urinary tract infection (UTI). The Meropenem treatment caused non-resistant bacteria in the gut and lung to be killed off. As a consequence, antibiotic resistant mutants of Pseudomonas were able to grow and proliferate. During this time of antibiotic treatment, the Pseudomonas translocated from the gut to the patient’s lungs.
To track the progression of the bacterium, the scientists deployed a genetic approach, creating a time-calibrated bacterial family tree that allowed them to analyse the progression and location of infection, plus its evolution.
The patient survived following an immune response to the bacterium in their lungs, preventing the infection from causing pneumonia.
The science intend to assess how frequently gut to lung bacterial translocation occurs in vulnerable patients by collecting samples from a much larger cohort. This should lead to new interventions to prevent resistant infections.
The significance of the findings suggests that eliminating antimicrobial resistant pathogens from the gut microbiome of hospitalised patients may help to prevent serious infections.in addition, for antibiotic stewardship, the study highlights how antibiotic use can have a major impact on the bacteria that are not actually the target of antibiotic treatment.
The research appears in the journal Nature Communications. The study is titled “Gut to lung translocation and antibiotic mediated selection shape the dynamics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an ICU patient.”
