Publications by authors named "Olivia G King"
Article Synopsis
- The intestine serves as a key area for the growth of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), which can lead to serious infections.
- Use of broad-spectrum antibiotics disrupts normal gut bacteria, allowing CRE to thrive by increasing available nutrients and reducing substances that inhibit their growth.
- The study demonstrates that antibiotics not only lower the levels of beneficial gut microbes but also enrich nutrients that CRE can use for growth, making it easier for them to colonize the intestine.
The human gut microbiota can restrict the growth of pathogens to prevent them from colonizing the intestine ('colonization resistance'). However, antibiotic treatment can kill members of the gut microbiota ('gut commensals') and reduce competition for nutrients, making these nutrients available to support the growth of pathogens. This disturbance can lead to the growth and expansion of pathogens within the intestine (including antibiotic-resistant pathogens), where these pathogens can exploit the absence of competitors and the nutrient-enriched gut environment.
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