Gut colonisation with multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae worsens Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection
Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are multidrug-resistant bacteria spreading worldwide in hospitals and intensive care units. Gut colonization by CPE involves an imbalance in the gut microbiota (dysbiosis), which could alter host immune responses.
Here, the OpinfIELD team at the CIIL sought to determine whether gut colonization by CPE could impact the outcomes of subsequent Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection in a murine model. Gut colonization with CPE was associated with worse outcomes of P. aeruginosa lung infection through a depressed lung cellular immune response. CPE-associated dysbiosis was characterized by a near disappearance of the Muribaculaceae family and lower levels of short-chain fatty acids. The results challenge the notion of "asymptomatic" carriage of CPE which, in this murine model, is associated with gut dysbiosis that impacts the host's response to infection.
Le Guern R, Grandjean T, Stabler S, Bauduin M, Gosset P, Kipnis E, Dessein R. Nat Commun. 2023 Jan 5;14(1):78. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-35767-4.
