this Influenza A alters gut microbiota, specifically affecting its resistance to very common antibiotics, such as those used to treat ear and throat infections.These are the main conclusions of the study, published in the journal microbiology spectrum of American Society for Microbiology, The research was conducted by CEU San Pablo Universityfrom the Virology and Innate Immunity Group and the MICROAMB-Environmental Bacterial Biotechnology Group, and Geneva Inflammation Research Centerfrom the University of Geneva School of Medicine, and Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York.
As the experts explain, the analysis they conducted showed that the ability of the gut microbiota to metabolize sugar decreases in the days after infection and recovers after five days to a week: “We analyzed Changes in intestinal bacterial communities associated with antibiotic resistance in mice infected with influenza virus. Resistance to common antibiotic families such as cephalosporins, which are used to treat conditions such as ear infections, throat infections, pneumonia or meningitis, has been observed to temporarily increase the gut microbiome. ” lead author of a press release issued by the university.
Pedro Jiménez, lead co-author of the study, added: “Traditionally, studies of antibiotic resistance have been conducted using bacterial populations isolated from patients. Our method studies this resistance in bacterial communities, where many bacteria collectively determine the resistance of the community. This strategy will allow for better selection of antibiotics in more individualized treatments. “Understanding the behavior of microbial communities, such as gut bacteria, can allow us to predict treatment failure due to the use of ineffective antibiotics in patients.”
Antibiotic resistance in bacterial communities
CEU University of San Pablo researchers
The study’s authors explain that there is still a lot of ignorance about antibiotic resistance in bacterial communities. How complex is its explanation?.
And, as they themselves clarify, Resistance to a certain antibiotic varies depending on the bacteria present in the community and the resistance mechanisms. Research shows that influenza infection alters the composition of the gut microbiota, metabolic capabilities, and response to certain antibiotics. In other words, diseases affecting the gut microbiota can alter its activity and metabolic function, including resistance to oral antibiotics.
“Functional characterization of these complex communities is critical, although currently it is largely limited to taxonomic description. Understanding functional changes can significantly influence treatment strategies, Especially in infections caused by multiple microorganisms at the same time,” clarify the authors Marina Robas and Jesús Presa.
On the other hand, it is important to know that in certain organs of our body the microbiota is present where bacteria are essential: “With the help of advanced genome sequencing technology, Now we can identify the bacteria present in our bodieseven those plants that are difficult to study in the laboratory due to resistance to culture, in this study we propose techniques that go beyond traditional uses to study their ‘population responses’,” he details. Nistar.
Ultimately, this discovery helps Improving the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseasesuch as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and paves the way to a better understanding of the relationship between dysbiosis and neurological diseases or certain types of cancer.
However, the team clarifies that despite knowing which bacteria are present, in most studies What determines their group behavior and its consequences have not yet been investigated. This study therefore represents an advance in understanding bacterial function at the population level.