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Mu S, Xiang H, Wang Y, Wei W, Long X, Han Y, Kuang Z, Yang Y, Xu F, Xue M, Dong Z, Tong C, Zheng H, Song Z. The pathogens of secondary infection in septic patients share a similar genotype to those that predominate in the gut. Crit Care 2022; 26:68. [PMID: 35331299 PMCID: PMC8944137 DOI: 10.1186/s13054-022-03943-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Secondary nosocomial infections, which are commonly caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE), often develop in septic patients. This study aimed to identify the origin of secondary systemic pathogens and reveal the underlying mechanism of infection. Methods In this prospective, observational case–control study, a total of 34 septic patients, 33 non-septic intensive care unit (ICU) patients and 10 healthy individuals serving as controls were enrolled. Three hundred and twelve fecal samples were collected and subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Metagenome sequencing was performed to identify the homology between dominant CRKP or VRE in the intestine and pathogens isolated from secondary infectious sites. C57/BL mice were established as pseudo germ-free animal model by pretreatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics for two weeks. Results The abundance and diversity of the gut microbiota in septic patients was drastically decreased one week after ICU admission, potentially leading to the enrichment of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as CRKP. Furthermore, secondary bloodstream and abdominal infections caused by CRKP or VRE in septic patients occurred after intestinal colonization with the predominant bacterial species. Genomic analysis showed that bacteria isolated from secondary infection had high homology with the corresponding predominant intestinal opportunistic pathogens. In addition, animal model experiments validated the hypothesis that the administration of antibiotics caused the enrichment of CRKP and VRE among the intestinal microbiota, increasing the likelihood of permeation of other tissues and potentially causing subsequent systemic infection in pseudo germ-free mice. Conclusion Our study indicated that the pathogens causing secondary infection in septic patients might originate from the intestinal colonization of pathogens following broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13054-022-03943-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sucheng Mu
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Hao Xiang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yuezhu Wang
- NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies), Fudan University, 2140 Xietu Road, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai and Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, 250 Bibo Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xiangyu Long
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yi Han
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Zhongshu Kuang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yilin Yang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Feixiang Xu
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Mingming Xue
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Zhimin Dong
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Chaoyang Tong
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Huajun Zheng
- NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies), Fudan University, 2140 Xietu Road, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhenju Song
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China. .,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Lung Inflammation and Injury, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, China. .,Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Public Health, Fudan University, 138 Yixueyuan Road, Shanghai, China.
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