Researchers at the University of Chicago have made a breakthrough in predicting postoperative infections in liver transplant patients by analyzing molecules in their stool samples. This pioneering study sheds light on the connection between the gut microbiome – the collection of bacteria in the human body – and overall health.
The rise of antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat to public health, making it increasingly difficult to treat infections. Understanding how the human microbiome, particularly the gut microbiome, fights off drug-resistant bacteria is crucial in finding new ways to combat these infections.
Liver transplant patients are particularly vulnerable to drug-resistant infections, prompting the researchers to analyze fecal samples from over 100 patients to investigate if the microbiome plays a role in their infection risk. The researchers found a wide range of microbiome compositions in different patients.
A healthy microbiome is characterized by over a trillion bacterial cells, consisting of thousands of unique species. However, some patients had a depleted microbiome, where there was only a single harmful, drug-resistant bacterial species present. The researchers discovered that healthy microbiomes produce key metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids and secondary bile acids. These metabolites have beneficial effects on the human host and can help fight off drug-resistant bacteria such as vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), a common cause of infections in surgical, cancer, and intensive care patients.
Analyzing their data, the researchers found that the amount of drug-resistant pathogens in the microbiome accurately predicted postoperative infections. Taking their analysis one step further, they focused solely on the metabolites in the patients’ stool samples and found that these molecules could also predict infection risk. Metabolomic analysis is a quicker process compared to sequencing genomes, making it a potentially valuable tool in clinical practice.
Although the current algorithm used for analysis is complex and requires validation, these findings lay the groundwork for future research into the link between infections and metabolites in the microbiome. The ultimate goal is to use these findings to restore patients’ microbiomes and mitigate infection risk. Patients with unhealthy, single-species gut microbiomes could potentially receive healthy gut bacteria from external sources to promote the production of beneficial metabolites like secondary bile acids that can help protect against drug-resistant infections.
The University of Chicago’s Biological Sciences Division already has a biobank containing thousands of bacteria, categorized based on their genomes and metabolites produced. UChicago is also developing a facility compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices to produce, filter, and freeze-dry gut bacteria derived from healthy donors, which can be encapsulated for oral consumption.
Microbiome restoration products have already been approved by the FDA in 2023, indicating that the future of microbiome research and therapeutics is within reach. By understanding, testing, and restoring the microbiome, researchers hope to arm medical professionals with new tools to combat drug-resistant bacteria and improve patient outcomes.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
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