1
|
Zhou C, Pawline MB, Pironti A, Morales SM, Perault AI, Ulrich RJ, Podkowik M, Lejeune A, DuMont A, Stubbe FX, Korman A, Jones DR, Schluter J, Richardson AR, Fey PD, Drlica K, Cadwell K, Torres VJ, Shopsin B. Microbiota and metabolic adaptation shape Staphylococcus aureus virulence and antimicrobial resistance during intestinal colonization. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.11.593044. [PMID: 38766195 PMCID: PMC11100824 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.11.593044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Depletion of microbiota increases susceptibility to gastrointestinal colonization and subsequent infection by opportunistic pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). How the absence of gut microbiota impacts the evolution of MRSA is unknown. The present report used germ-free mice to investigate the evolutionary dynamics of MRSA in the absence of gut microbiota. Through genomic analyses and competition assays, we found that MRSA adapts to the microbiota-free gut through sequential genetic mutations and structural changes that enhance fitness. Initially, these adaptations increase carbohydrate transport; subsequently, evolutionary pathways largely diverge to enhance either arginine metabolism or cell wall biosynthesis. Increased fitness in arginine pathway mutants depended on arginine catabolic genes, especially nos and arcC , which promote microaerobic respiration and ATP generation, respectively. Thus, arginine adaptation likely improves redox balance and energy production in the oxygen-limited gut environment. Findings were supported by human gut metagenomic analyses, which suggest the influence of arginine metabolism on colonization. Surprisingly, these adaptive genetic changes often reduced MRSA's antimicrobial resistance and virulence. Furthermore, resistance mutation, typically associated with decreased virulence, also reduced colonization fitness, indicating evolutionary trade-offs among these traits. The presence of normal microbiota inhibited these adaptations, preserving MRSA's wild-type characteristics that effectively balance virulence, resistance, and colonization fitness. The results highlight the protective role of gut microbiota in preserving a balance of key MRSA traits for long-term ecological success in commensal populations, underscoring the potential consequences on MRSA's survival and fitness during and after host hospitalization and antimicrobial treatment. Importance The fitness of MRSA depends on its ability to colonize. A key, underappreciated observation is that gut colonization frequently serves as the site for MRSA infections, especially among vulnerable groups such as children and hospitalized adults. By evolving MRSA strains in germ-free mice, we identify molecular mechanisms underlying how MRSA exploits a depletion in host microbiota to enhance gut colonization fitness. This work points to bacterial colonization factors that may be targetable. Our findings indicate that adaptive changes in MRSA often reduce its antimicrobial resistance and virulence, and are suppressed by the presence of native commensal bacteria. This work helps explain the ecology of pathoadaptive variants that thrive in hospital settings but falter under colonization conditions in healthy hosts. Additionally, it illustrates the potential adverse effects of prolonged, broad-spectrum empirical antimicrobial therapy and adds a new type of weight to calls for microbiota transplantation to reduce colonization by antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.
Collapse
|
2
|
Lehmann CJ, Dylla NP, Odenwald M, Nayak R, Khalid M, Boissiere J, Cantoral J, Adler E, Stutz MR, Dela Cruz M, Moran A, Lin H, Ramaswamy R, Sundararajan A, Sidebottom AM, Little J, Pamer EG, Aronsohn A, Fung J, Baker TB, Kacha A. Fecal metabolite profiling identifies liver transplant recipients at risk for postoperative infection. Cell Host Microbe 2024; 32:117-130.e4. [PMID: 38103544 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Metabolites produced by the intestinal microbiome modulate mucosal immune defenses and optimize epithelial barrier function. Intestinal dysbiosis, including loss of intestinal microbiome diversity and expansion of antibiotic-resistant pathobionts, is accompanied by changes in fecal metabolite concentrations and increased incidence of systemic infection. Laboratory tests that quantify intestinal dysbiosis, however, have yet to be incorporated into clinical practice. We quantified fecal metabolites in 107 patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) and correlated these with fecal microbiome compositions, pathobiont expansion, and postoperative infections. Consistent with experimental studies implicating microbiome-derived metabolites with host-mediated antimicrobial defenses, reduced fecal concentrations of short- and branched-chain fatty acids, secondary bile acids, and tryptophan metabolites correlate with compositional microbiome dysbiosis in LT patients and the relative risk of postoperative infection. Our findings demonstrate that fecal metabolite profiling can identify LT patients at increased risk of postoperative infection and may provide guideposts for microbiome-targeted therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Lehmann
- Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Disease and Global Health, University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| | - Nicholas P Dylla
- Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Matthew Odenwald
- Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 South Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Ravi Nayak
- Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Maryam Khalid
- Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jaye Boissiere
- Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jackelyn Cantoral
- Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Emerald Adler
- Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Matthew R Stutz
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Cook County Health, 1950 W. Polk St, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Mark Dela Cruz
- Department of Cardiology, Advocate Health Care Systems, 4400 W. 95(th) St, Oak Lawn, IL 60453, USA
| | - Angelica Moran
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 South Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Huaiying Lin
- Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Ramanujam Ramaswamy
- Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Anitha Sundararajan
- Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Ashley M Sidebottom
- Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jessica Little
- Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Eric G Pamer
- Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Disease and Global Health, University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Duchossois Family Institute, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| | - Andrew Aronsohn
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 South Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - John Fung
- Department of Surgery, Section of Transplant Surgery, University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 South Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Talia B Baker
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation and Advanced Hepatobiliary Surgery, University of Utah Health, 30 N. 1900 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - Aalok Kacha
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 South Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Odenwald MA, Lin H, Lehmann C, Dylla NP, Cole CG, Mostad JD, Pappas TE, Ramaswamy R, Moran A, Hutchison AL, Stutz MR, Dela Cruz M, Adler E, Boissiere J, Khalid M, Cantoral J, Haro F, Oliveira RA, Waligurski E, Cotter TG, Light SH, Beavis KG, Sundararajan A, Sidebottom AM, Reddy KG, Paul S, Pillai A, Te HS, Rinella ME, Charlton MR, Pamer EG, Aronsohn AI. Bifidobacteria metabolize lactulose to optimize gut metabolites and prevent systemic infection in patients with liver disease. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:2033-2049. [PMID: 37845315 PMCID: PMC11059310 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01493-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Progression of chronic liver disease is precipitated by hepatocyte loss, inflammation and fibrosis. This process results in the loss of critical hepatic functions, increasing morbidity and the risk of infection. Medical interventions that treat complications of hepatic failure, including antibiotic administration for systemic infections and lactulose treatment for hepatic encephalopathy, can impact gut microbiome composition and metabolite production. Here, using shotgun metagenomic sequencing and targeted metabolomic analyses on 847 faecal samples from 262 patients with acute or chronic liver disease, we demonstrate that patients hospitalized for liver disease have reduced microbiome diversity and a paucity of bioactive metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids and bile acid derivatives, that impact immune defences and epithelial barrier integrity. We find that patients treated with the orally administered but non-absorbable disaccharide lactulose have increased densities of intestinal bifidobacteria and reduced incidence of systemic infections and mortality. Bifidobacteria metabolize lactulose, produce high concentrations of acetate and acidify the gut lumen in humans and mice, which, in combination, can reduce the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in vitro. Our studies suggest that lactulose and bifidobacteria serve as a synbiotic to reduce rates of infection in patients with severe liver disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Odenwald
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Huaiying Lin
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Christopher Lehmann
- Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Nicholas P Dylla
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Cody G Cole
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jake D Mostad
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Téa E Pappas
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Angelica Moran
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Alan L Hutchison
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Matthew R Stutz
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Cook County Health, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Mark Dela Cruz
- Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Emerald Adler
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jaye Boissiere
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Maryam Khalid
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jackelyn Cantoral
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Fidel Haro
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Rita A Oliveira
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Emily Waligurski
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Thomas G Cotter
- Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Samuel H Light
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | | | | | - K Gautham Reddy
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sonali Paul
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Anjana Pillai
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Helen S Te
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Mary E Rinella
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Michael R Charlton
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Eric G Pamer
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Andrew I Aronsohn
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| |
Collapse
|