The gut microbiome is a storehouse for both pathogenic bacteria and genes responsible for making bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Paul Stege (UMC Utrecht) discovered this during his PhD research.
By analyzing the composition of the microbiome of healthy Dutch people on different diets, Stege determined that vegans had a microbiome composition that differed slightly from omnivores, pescatarians and vegetarians. A possible cause of this could be that vegans do not consume dairy products. The diet did not seem to affect the composition of the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs).
In a study with dogs, Stege analyzed how the intestinal colonization of the resistant bacteria Extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) affects microbiome composition and ARGs. He found that dogs colonized by ESBL-EC carried higher levels of certain opportunistic pathogens and ARGs.
He also described, using an organoid model, how specific genes play a crucial role in intestinal colonization of the Enterococcus faeciumbacteria. Finally, Stege developed an instrument based on the CRISPR-Cas9 system, in which specific genes in the genome of this bacterium have been switched off. Using this, researchers may be able to determine the exact role of these genes during intestinal colonization.
Bron:
UMC Utrecht