Infant microbiota also passed down by father

While mothers are the first to seed their child’s digestive tract during vaginal births, the father also plays a role in building the child’s microbiota, and more and more so as the months go by. This complementary transfer of flora is essential for children born by Cesarean section, who are partly deprived of their mother’s flora.

Newborn babies acquire some of their mother’s vaginal and fecal flora during birth. However, in Cesarean births, this initial seeding is disrupted, facilitating colonization by pathogens.

Many questions remain about this initial digestive flora. For example, what are the seeding dynamics of the GI system? Where do the additional microorganisms come from, given that the child shares only half of its microbiota with its mother?

Suspecting that father plays a role, scientists 1 have investigated gut flora sharing and transmission dynamics between mother and child and father and child. They did so by studying data for 53 families of infants born by vaginal delivery and 21 by cesarean section from the Finnish HELMi 2 longitudinal cohort, as well as data for 7 families from the SECFLOR 3 cohort (children born by Cesarean section and subject to  (sidenote: Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) A therapeutic procedure to restore the gut microbiota by transferring fecal bacteria from a healthy donor to a recipient. Explore https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abo2750 ) ).

1/4 Cesarean deliveries currently account for over a quarter of births worldwide.¹

Paternal microbiota: stable and complementary

Samples taken from infants, mothers, and fathers suggest that transmission of the paternal gut microbiota complements maternal seeding.

Above all, while the maternal contribution diminishes after initial inoculation during birth, and is disrupted in the event of Cesarean section, the father is a stable source who seeds the child’s gut microbiota regardless of the mode of delivery.

What’s more, the father is a major source: by the time the child blows out its first candle, his contribution is comparable to that of the mother. The study also shows that overlap between paternal and maternal strains is rare, underlining the complementarity of these two sources in the construction of the infant microbiota early in life. 

These data underline the father’s key role as a source of microorganisms. This role is all the more important given that, in Cesarean deliveries, only the mother receives antibiotic prophylaxis. The father’s untouched flora thus becomes essential.

60% of those surveyed are unaware that the mode of delivery can affect the gut microbiota of newborns.⁴

Fecal rather than vaginal FMT

While transfers of maternal vaginal microbiota, which is less diverse than gut microbiota, had previously shown limited benefit, this study also highlights the value of FMT of maternal fecal microbiota, which offsets the effects of Cesarean section:  

  • the microbial richness of the newborn’s microbiota is restored, with an increase in Bacteroides (B. dorei, B. fragilis and B. vulgatus) and Bifidobacterium (B. adolescentis, B. pseudocatenulatum and B. longum)
  • colonization by pathogens such as Clostridium perfringens, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumoniae is reduced,
  • the effects persist over time (at least one year).

Furthermore, the researchers observed preferential colonization by bacteria capable of breaking down the sugars in breast milk. All of these strains could potentially be developed into future probiotics for newborns.

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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR): The Biocodex Microbiota Institute steps in to tackle a silent health crisis

The Biocodex Microbiota Institute is a leader in scientific information and a key player in educating and training healthcare professionals and the general public on the importance of human microbiota. From November 18 to 24, for the fifth year running, the Institute is taking part in World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), organized by the WHO. For the 2024 edition, experts from the Biocodex Microbiota Institute will create the first “Antibiotic Resistance Awareness Mural”. The aim is to present the issues and challenges associated with antibiotic resistance in a fun, collaborative way in the hope of changing patient behavior. 

A global week to raise awareness of the dangers of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious threats to public health worldwide. According to the WHO, unless urgent measures are taken, this scourge could cause more than ten million deaths a year by 2050. 

Although with proper use, antibiotics remain a major medical advance, their abuse and misuse contribute to antibiotic resistance by encouraging the emergence of resistant bacteria, which puts at risk. Despite this, only 31% of the French public says it is aware of the negative impact of antibiotics on the microbiota, according to the International Microbiota Observatory, a survey conducted in 2024 by Ipsos for the Biocodex Microbiota Institute. For the second year running, the Biocodex Microbiota Institute has commissioned Ipsos to carry out a major international survey on 7,500 individuals across 11 countries in order to better understand people’s level of knowledge and behaviors when it comes to their microbiota.

Against this worrying backdrop, World AMR Awareness Week represents a crucial opportunity to raise awareness among the public and healthcare professionals about the importance of proper antibiotic use.

Antimicrobial resistance awareness mural to get the message across to patients

Over the past five years, the Biocodex Microbiota Institute has played an active role in this global awareness campaign, with multiple initiatives to promote the proper use of antibiotics and raise awareness among the general public and healthcare professionals of their impact on microbiota. For the 2024 edition, teams from the Biocodex Microbiota Institute worked alongside Querceo to create the first “antibiotic resistance awareness mural.”

“We went for an original, fun, and collaborative format to raise awareness among a wide audience, from patients and healthcare professionals to Biocodex employees. The aim of this mural is clear: to involve as many people as possible in raising awareness about antibiotic resistance. By combining card games, quizzes and, above all, collective knowledge about the solutions to be implemented, this first-of-its-kind mural aims to popularize the issues surrounding antibiotic resistance, all while illustrating the central role of microbiota in human health.”

Olivier Valcke, Director of the Biocodex Microbiota Institute

Training 1,700 “Biocodex Mural Makers” to animate a first-rate community of ambassadors

The campaign kicked off on November 14 with a scientific conference entitled “Antibiotic resistance: microbiota at the heart of a silent pandemic”, featuring, among others, Vanessa Carter, survivor of antibiotic resistance and member of the WHO working group on antibiotic resistance, and Professor Etienne Ruppé, specialist in antibiotic resistance and bacteriologist at the Bichat-Claude Bernard hospital in Paris.

As part of this awareness-raising week, Biocodex is also mobilizing its 1,700 employees for the initiative. Participative workshops will be organized throughout the week of November 18 to 24 to train employees on how to design the antibiotic resistance awareness mural. These workshops provide an opportunity for exchange and co-creation, to reinforce collective awareness about the proper use of antibiotics. 

For Catherine Perret, Chief People Officer at Biocodex, “training our 1,700 employees on how to design this mural reinforces their commitment to raising awareness about antibiotic resistance. This makes them active ambassadors for the cause, helping to spread the importance of the proper use of antibiotics.”

About the Biocodex Microbiota Institute

The Biocodex Microbiota Institute is an international knowledge hub dedicated to human microbiota. The Institute communicates with its users in seven languages, targeting both healthcare professionals and the general public with the aim of raising awareness about the vital role this organ plays in our health. The Biocodex Microbiota Institute’s primary mission is educational: to spread the word about the importance of microbiota for everyone.

About Querceo

Querceo is a consulting firm that takes a collaborative and systemic approach to supporting organizations through the ecological transition. By creating and disseminating awareness-raising workshops, such as the Biodiversity Mural, the One Health Mural, or the SiNergie workshop, Querceo helps mobilize organizations, enabling each individual to understand and take ownership of the major challenges of tomorrow.

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New insights into vaginal microbiome dynamics: a game changer for women’s health

New research 1 on vaginal microbiome dynamics reveals that its state fluctuates over time, offering a deeper view beyond traditional snapshots. This breakthrough could transform how we assess and manage women’s health, especially conditions like bacterial vaginosis.

Vaginal infections

How we measure vaginal health

Recent research has uncovered a new layer of complexity in understanding the vaginal microbiome, revealing that its state is far from static. Traditionally, scientists have used the (sidenote: Nugent score A diagnostic scoring system used to assess bacterial vaginosis based on the presence and proportions of certain bacteria in a Gram-stained vaginal sample. ) 2 and Community State Types (CSTs) 3 to classify vaginal microbiomes.

The Nugent score assesses microbiome health through microscopy, calculating a score based on the abundance of bacterial morphotypes associated with either "healthy" or BV-associated microbiota. CSTs, meanwhile, classify vaginal microbiomes into five types based on bacterial dominance, indicating either Lactobacillus-dominated "eubiotic" states or diverse, Lactobacillus-poor states associated with dysbiosis. 

However, a new approach known as Vaginal Community Dynamics (VCDs) captures microbiome fluctuations over time, showing that these classifications may only represent snapshots rather than true microbiome stability. This new perspective has profound implications for women’s health, from routine diagnostics to the personalized management of conditions like bacterial vaginosis (BV).

Mapping microbiome dynamics with VCDs

The recent study 1 led by Dr. Ina Schuppe‑Koistinen and Prof. Henriette Svarre Nielsen from the Karolinska Institute observed daily microbiome transitions in 49 young women over a complete menstrual cycle, uncovering four distinct VCDs: constant eubiotic (stable (sidenote: Lactobacillus A group of beneficial bacteria commonly found in the vaginal microbiome. They produce lactic acid, helping maintain a low pH to protect against infections. ) -dominant), constant dysbiotic (persistent dysbiosis), menses-related dysbiotic (Lactobacillus dominance disrupted only during menstruation), and unstable dysbiotic (frequent shifts in microbial composition).

These VCDs highlight each woman’s unique microbial stability or instability in response to external factors like menstruation and sexual activity - factors often overlooked by both CSTs and Nugent scoring.

Bacterial vaginosis: sexual transmission & genomic insights

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Phages and bacteriocins: key players in vaginal microbiome stability

The study also found that bacteriophages and bacteriocins might influence microbiome dynamics. Higher phage activity was observed in unstable VCDs, suggesting a potential role in selectively reducing Lactobacillus populations. Additionally, certain strains of Gardnerella in dysbiotic VCDs contained bacteriocin genes, which may inhibit beneficial lactobacilli and contribute to microbiome instability. These insights could eventually lead to new therapies aimed at stabilizing the vaginal microbiome by targeting phages or bacteriocins.

Why VCDs could transform clinical practice

The shift from static to dynamic classification holds significant promise for clinical applications. While Nugent scores and CSTs can indicate "healthy" or "dysbiotic" states from single samples, VCDs offer insights into microbiome resilience, revealing how often an individual’s microbiome shifts toward dysbiosis. For instance, VCDs could enable clinicians to identify patients prone to frequent microbiome disruptions and help them design more targeted, preventive interventions.

Such an approach could transform how we manage conditions like BV, where microbiome fluctuations are common, and improve outcomes by personalizing care to each patient’s unique microbiome stability.

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Your vaginal microbiome has a mind of its own—here’s how it changes every day

Your vaginal microbiome is constantly shifting in response to hormones, lifestyle, and more. New insights reveal how these changes impact your health, empowering you to make small, effective choices to support wellness that aligns with your unique biology.

The vaginal microbiota Women disorders Probiotics Diet

Think your vaginal health is set in stone? Think again. Groundbreaking new research 1 reveals that the vaginal microbiome - a dynamic community of bacteria unique to each woman - is constantly on the move, adapting daily to everything from hormone shifts to lifestyle habits, and even intimate moments.

These daily changes don’t just affect comfort; they have a lasting impact on overall health, making this discovery a game-changer for women looking to take control of their wellness in a truly personalized way.

48% Fewer than one in two women have heard of the vaginal microbiome ²

88% of them would like to be better informed ²

Your microbiome’s four moods

For years, scientists relied on methods like the (sidenote: Nugent score A diagnostic scoring system used to assess bacterial vaginosis based on the presence and proportions of certain bacteria in a Gram-stained vaginal sample. ) 3 and Community State Types (CSTs) 4 to assess vaginal health. The Nugent score looks at bacteria under a microscope, identifying an “imbalance” or bacterial vaginosis if there’s a lack of beneficial bacteria. CSTs, on the other hand, are like “snapshots” of the microbiome, grouping it into five main types based on a single sample.

However, researchers recently found that these single-time-point snapshots don’t tell the full story. A new method 1 called Vaginal Community Dynamics (VCDs) digs deeper by tracking daily microbiome changes across a full menstrual cycle, uncovering how each woman’s microbiome responds to her unique internal and external environment.

So, what did they find?

Using daily samples from 49 women, the researchers uncovered four distinct “modes” or patterns of vaginal microbiome behavior:

  • Constant Eubiotic: This mode is steady and resilient, dominated by beneficial (sidenote: Lactobacillus A group of beneficial bacteria commonly found in the vaginal microbiome. They produce lactic acid, helping maintain a low pH to protect against infections. ) bacteria throughout the cycle. Women with this pattern have a balanced microbiome that doesn’t change much, even with external factors like menstruation or sexual activity.
  • Constant Dysbiotic: In this mode, the microbiome remains imbalanced, lacking the typical Lactobacillus protection and often showing higher levels of bacteria linked to bacterial vaginosis. This can make it more susceptible to infection.
  • Menses-Related Dysbiotic: Here, the microbiome shifts into an imbalanced state only during menstruation, but returns to normal afterward. Hormones and menstrual bleeding can affect pH and nutrient levels, leading to temporary changes in bacterial makeup.
  • Unstable Dysbiotic: Women with this pattern experience frequent shifts between a balanced and imbalanced microbiome, often in response to events like menstruation or unprotected sex. This mode shows a microbiome that isn’t as resilient and can change quickly, increasing the risk of discomfort or infection.

Periods & vaginal microbiota: Science in progress…

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Tips for supporting your vaginal microbiome

So how can you keep your microbiome balanced and healthy? Here are a few science-backed tips:

  • Add probiotics: Look for probiotics with Lactobacillus strains or enjoy probiotic-rich foods like yogurt and kimchi.
  • Use gentle hygiene: Stick to unscented soap and avoid douching to protect your microbiome’s balance.
  • Choose period products wisely: Many women find unscented, organic tampons or silicone menstrual cups to be gentler.
  • Eat a balanced diet: High-fiber, low-sugar diets support both gut and vaginal microbiomes.
  • Practice safe sex: Condoms can help keep the vaginal microbiome stable by limiting new bacterial exposure.

Understanding the daily rhythms of your vaginal microbiome gives you the power to take control of your health in new ways. By tuning into these insights, you can make simple choices to support your body naturally and embrace wellness that’s truly in sync with you.

The vaginal microbiota

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Human microbiomes: reservoirs of antimicrobial peptides

Human microbiomes are believed to be reservoirs of antimicrobial peptides as effective as some antibiotics currently in use, with some potentially sparing our commensal bacteria. 1 

“One of the most serious threats to global health, food security, and development”.  This is how the WHO 2 describes antibiotic resistance.  (sidenote: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are short sequences of amino acids widely present in a variety of organisms, including bacteria, plants, amphibians, insects, fish, and mammals. They are capable of disrupting microbial growth, most often by interfering with cell wall integrity. Explore https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/antim… ) are seen as a promising solution to the problem. However, they remain in short supply Some examples include:

  • bacitracin produced by Bacillus licheniformis is used to treat eye and skin infections
  • colistin produced by Paenibacillus polymyxa var. collistinus is used to treat pneumonia in cystic fibrosis patients
  • polymyxin B produced by Paenibacillus polymyxa is used to treat topical infections

The study described below sought to identify new candidates, based on 1,773 genomes from the human microbiomes of the skin, mouth, gastrointestinal system, and vagina of 263 healthy women participating in the NIH Human Microbiome Project. 3

323 potential candidates

The team identified 323 potential candidates, which the authors called SEPs ( (sidenote: SmORF (Small open reading frames) Short sequences encoding small peptides of less than 100 amino acids capable of mediating key physiological functions in humans and animals. Explore Couso JP, Patraquim P. Classification and function of small open reading frames… ) -encoded peptides).

Of these, 78 were selected on the basis of three criteria (antimicrobial potential, diversity of families represented, and ease of synthesis). These were then synthesized and tested against:

  • 11 clinically relevant pathogen strains (Acinetobacter baumannii, E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium)
  • 13 of the most common commensal bacteria of the GI tract (belonging to four phyla: Verrucomicrobia, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, et Firmicutes)

Unlike AMPs, SEPs can also target commensals.

70.5% show antimicrobial activity

In all, 55 of the 78 SEPs synthesized (70.5%) displayed in vitro antimicrobial activity against at least one pathogenic or commensal bacterium:

  • 33 of the 78 SEPs destroyed at least one of the 11 pathogens tested; S. aureus was the only pathogen not targeted by any of the 78 SEPs synthesized;
  • 45 of the 78 SEPs displayed mild antibacterial activity against commensals.

The five most promising SEPs (high activity against pathogens, limited or no activity against commensals) were (sidenote: Skin and GI bacteria Faecalibacticin-3 (Faecalibacterium prausnitzii), fusobacticin-2 (Fusobacterium nucleatum), keratinobacin-1 (Keratinibaculum paraultunense), staphylococcin-2 (Staphylococcus capitis), and prevotellin-2 (Prevotella copri) ) . Les actions des différents SEP se révélaient souvent synergiques.

In vivo (murine model), the best candidate, prevotellin-2 (P. copri), proved to be as effective as the reference antibiotic (polymyxin B) in terms of reducing the bacterial load, with no noticeable toxicity for mice infected with A. baumannii.

6 things you should know about antibiotics

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Focus on the cytoplasmic membrane

To determine their mechanisms of action, antimicrobially active SEPs were studied from every angle. Their antimicrobial action seems to target the cytoplasmic membrane of the bacteria they depolarize (whereas conventional AMPs and EPs generally target the outer membrane).

3 patterns of antagonism

The various SEPs act via three patterns of antagonism:

• Intraspecies (by combatting competition from other strains)
• Interspecies within the same body site (e.g. faecalibacticin-3 produced by gut bacterium Faecalibacterium prausnitzii from the Firmicutes phylum targets several bacteria from the Bacteroidetes phylum)
• Interspecies targeting bacteria from another body site (staphylococcin-2 produced by skin bacterium Staphylococcus capitis is highly active against several phyla of gut bacteria)

In addition to combating pathogens, SEPs may therefore remodel microbiomes.

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Pomegranate to the rescue of disrupted skin microbiota

Pomegranate contains substances that may contribute to rebalancing the populations of micro-organisms living on the surface of our skin. Researchers have shown that an extract of the peel weakens pathogenic bacteria and reinforces beneficial bacteria.

The skin microbiota Psoriasis and microbiota Acne and microbiota Allergic eczema Skin disorders

A natural, non-toxic and ecologically responsible product that improves the equilibrium of the skin microbiota and helps fight against skin problems: you thought it was a dream? A team of Italian researchers has done it...using pomegranate skins that were about to be thrown away! 1

This inedible part makes up 50% of the fruit. It usually ends up in the trash during the manufacture of pomegranate juice and extracts. However, it contains the majority of the precious polyphenols found in pomegranate, some of which possess antibacterial properties that are of interest for health.

The Italian researchers wanted to know whether, by making using of these peels to extract their precious components, it would be possible to develop a product capable of re-establishing the equilibrium of the skin microbiota and improving skin health.

The battle: good bacteria vs. bad bacteria

Dysbiosis of the skin microbiota, characterized by the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria to the detriment of beneficial bacteria, has been implicated in numerous skin problems, such as acne, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

Skin disorders

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The researchers first took samples of the skin microbiota from the skin of 9 young volunteers, 3 of whom suffered from skin problems linked to atopic dermatitis. From these samples, they extracted:

  • Staphylococcus aureus, pathogenic bacteria responsible for skin dysbiosis
  • Staphylococcus epidermidis, known for its beneficial effects and its ability to restore the integrity of the skin barrier.

Meanwhile, the scientists prepared an extract of pomegranate peel (Punica granatum L.) using energy-saving extraction methods and recyclable solvents. 

After verifying that it was non-toxic, they placed the product in contact with the bacteria taken from the volunteers.

Twofold effect of pomegranate

The result: the pomegranate extract has both a significant antimicrobial effect on the pathogenic S. aureus and a protective effect on the beneficial S. epidermidis

For the researchers, these effects are most likely connected to the phenolic components of pomegranate: catechins, quercetin, gallic acid, etc. These act in a targeted manner, on the one hand preventing pathogenic bacteria from sticking to the skin and forming protective biofilms, and on the other hand stimulating the ability of beneficial bacteria to synthesize biofilms. 

Neutralizing the enemy is an art!

Everyone has the harmful Staphylococcus aureus on the surface of their skin. Most of the time, however, it does not proliferate.

Why? Because the “good” bacteria of the skin microbiota secrete an ultra-sophisticated arsenal of formidable small molecules (bacteriocins, antibiotics, short-chain fatty acids, antimicrobial peptides, etc.) capable of blocking the multiplication of Staphylococcus aureus and inhibiting its proliferation.

In addition, by regulating the inflammatory response, contributing to the homeostasis of skin cells and maintaining the integrity of the epidermis, good bacteria contribute to microbial equilibrium. Nice, but strong!

Clinical trials will need to be carried out before it is possible to confirm the ability of this extract to prevent, alleviate or cure skin problems, particularly those linked to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria

If the results are positive, this would provide further evidence that it is possible to integrate the health of the ecosystem with human health using a “One health” approach.

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Does the gut microbiota play a key role in bone fragility?

Does bone health depend on our gut microbiota? So suggests a study 1 linking the risk of fragility fractures to the bacteria present in our digestive system. 

The gut microbiota

The risk of so-called (sidenote: Fragility fractures Fragility fractures result from low-energy trauma (a mechanical force that would not ordinarily cause a fracture), such as a fall from standing height or less. These fractures are the main clinical consequence of osteoporosis, although they may occur in postmenopausal women even in the absence of osteoporosis.  ) (i.e. with no major trauma), largely linked to osteoporosis, increases with age, with one in two women and one in four men suffering an osteoporotic fracture at some point: fracture of the femoral neck after a very light fall, broken wrist as a result of minor trauma, vertebral compression, etc.

Bone is constantly remodeling itself and tends to be destroyed faster than it can be rebuilt after the age of 45. In addition to traditional bone protection methods such as a healthy diet and physical exercise, a new avenue is opening up: the gut microbiota, already implicated in bone health and the risk of osteoporosis. A new study has shown that our gut flora predicts the risk of ending up in a cast.

178 million

In 2019, there were 178 million new fractures globally, an increase of 33.4% since 1990, partly driven by population growth and ageing. 2

Gut bacteria: friend or enemy of our bones?

A healthy gut microbiota rests on a wide variety of gut bacteria. This diversity also has consequences for bone strength, say researchers who analyzed the microbiota of over 7,000 Finns. The verdict: the more diverse the microbiota, the lower the risk of fracture.

Fractures are more likely to occur in older people, especially older women. 2

How can this link be explained? Among the many bacteria that colonize our gut, some have a beneficial effect, while others weaken our bones. Proteobacteria, already implicated in various types of inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, may also promote more generalized inflammation in the body, and with it bone fragility.

Conversely, Tenericutes produce tiny fatty acids, including butyrate, which have a protective anti-inflammatory effect.

A balanced microbiota for strong bones?

The future of fragility fracture prevention may thus be a question of rebalancing your gut flora. In addition to an adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D, for healthy bones, take care of your “good” bacteria.

How to avoid fragility fractures? ²

• Improvement of diet and nutrition

Regular exercise and physical activity

• Smoking cessation

• Limitation of alcohol consumption

• Treatment of osteoporosis

• Prevention of falls

Despite these promising results, considerable work is still required to confirm a causal relationship between bacteria and fractures, and to understand how gut bacteria act to protect or weaken bones. In the meantime, for strong bones into old age, make sure to mind your gut.

The gut microbiota

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From gut to bone: how microbiota affects fragility fracture risk

Will it soon be possible to reduce the risk of fragility fractures thanks to the gut microbiota? So suggests a study 1 linking this risk to the composition of the digestive flora

The increase in the number of bone fractures associated with an aging population represents a major public health concern, with one in two women and one in four men expected to suffer an osteoporotic fracture at some point. These fragility fractures most often result from a loss of bone mass that is difficult to prevent. Previous studies have shown a link between gut microbiota and bone mass in mice and humans. A new study has revealed that the gut microbiota also influences the risk of fragility fractures.

178 million

In 2019, there were 178 million new fractures globally, an increase of 33.4% since 1990, partly driven by population growth and ageing. 2

Microbiota composition, an indicator of fracture risk

The researchers used data from the FINRISK 2 cohort, which followed 7,043 Finnish subjects over 18 years. Metagenomic sequencing of the participants’ gut bacteria revealed that greater (sidenote: Alpha diversity Number of species coexisting in a given environment )  in the gut microbiota is associated with a reduced risk of fracture.

Of the ten most abundant phyla in the human microbiota, two appear to be particularly linked to bone fragility:

  • Proteobacteria (including the pathogens Escherichia, Shigella, and Klebsiella), already implicated in various diseases (irritable bowel syndrome, etc.), are associated with an increased risk of fracture;
  • On the contrary, Tenericutes (notably the genera Parabacteroides and Lachnoclostridium, and the three species Oscillibacter sp. ER4, Parabacteroides distasonis, and Dorea longicatena) appear to be associated with a reduced risk.

Could inflammation be the key?

As regards the mechanisms, a number of metabolic pathways have been implicated. Proteobacteria were associated with a reduced synthesis of branched-chain amino acids, which are known to be associated with bone health, and an increased production of pro-inflammatory microbial lipopolysaccharides. Tenericutes, on the other hand, are associated with the biosynthesis of anti-inflammatory  (sidenote: Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) are a source of energy (fuel) for an individual’s cells. They interact with the immune system and are involved in communication between the intestine and the brain. Silva YP, Bernardi A, Frozza RL. The Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids From Gut Microbiota in Gut-Brain Communication. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020;11:25. )  (SCFA) such as butyrate. Proteobacteria and Tenericutes may therefore modulate inflammation, and with it bone resorption.

25.8 million Globally in 2019, fractures accounted for 25.8 million years lived with disability (YLDs), an increase of 65.3% in absolute YLDs since 1990. ³

+27% In the largest 5 countries of the European Union plus Sweden, the annual costs of fragility fractures are expected to increase by 27% by 2030. ³

Towards new fracture prevention strategies?

Although these results are promising, they are based on correlative analyses in a large but not very diverse population (Northern Europeans), and only on the predominant phyla of the gut microbiota (at the risk of overlooking the effect of rare phyla). Further research is therefore needed to establish a causal relationship between microbiota and fracture risk, and to understand the underlying mechanisms.

However, if these results are confirmed, treatments targeting microbiota imbalances could in future prevent osteoporosis and thus reduce the risk of fragility fracture.

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Antibiotic resistance: discovery of a million antimicrobial peptides

With the rise of antibiotic resistance, the discovery of new antibiotic molecules has become an urgent priority. Nearly a million potential antimicrobial peptides have been identified with machine learning. ¹

Finding new antibiotics to fight resistance is an urgent challenge facing medicine and (sidenote: Machine Learning Automatic learning whereby artificial intelligence solves a task based on metagenomic and metabolomic data collected, in this case the identification of discriminating bacterial species. Wazid M, Das AK, Chamola V, et al. Uniting cyber security and machine learning: Advantages, challenges and future research. ICT Express, 2022; 8(3), 313-321. ) may offer a helping hand. How? By predicting the global reservoir of (sidenote: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are short sequences of amino acids widely present in a variety of organisms, including bacteria, plants, amphibians, insects, fish, and mammals. They are capable of disrupting microbial growth, most often by interfering with cell wall integrity. Explore https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/antim… ) present on Earth. These AMPs represent a promising therapy which has already been applied clinically in the form of antiviral drugs (e.g. enfuvirtide). They are currently undergoing clinical trials for immunomodulatory properties that can treat microbial infections (yeast, bacteria). Their advantages over antibiotics are considerable: some have a narrow spectrum, thus enabling more targeted therapies, while resistance to many AMPs evolves slowly and is not linked to cross-resistance with other widely used classes of antibiotics.

1.27 million Antibiotic-resistant infections currently kill 1.27 million people per year. ¹

Nearly a million candidates

In practice, researchers have used machine learning-based methods to predict and catalog candidate AMPs (c_AMPs) produced by all terrestrial organisms by sifting through global public databases (63,410 metagenomes and 87,920 bacterial or archaeal genomes). The authors restricted themselves to a particular category of AMPs, those encoded by the organisms’ own genes, amounting to fewer than 100 amino acids. This resulted in the creation of the AMPSphere, a collection of 863,498 non-redundant peptide sequences. 

The majority (91.5%) of these c_AMP sequences had not been previously described. The AMPSphere spans 72 different habitats, which were classified into eight high-level habitat groups (soil/plant: 36.6%; aquatic: 24.8%; human gut: 13%, etc.). Most of these c_AMPs are rare and habitat specific. The majority come from the microbial world, and four of the five bacterial genera that provided the most c_AMPs to the AMPSphere are found in a host (three of which – Prevotella, Faecalibacterium, and CAG-110 – are commonly found in animals).

100 candidates successfully tested

To validate the anti-microbial power of c_AMPs, the researchers synthesized 100 of them and tested them against resistant pathogenic bacteria and commensal bacteria of the digestive system. In vitro, 79 were active against pathogens or commensals, including 63 against 11 pathogens recognized as public health concerns. Four peptides were effective (100% of cells killed after 24 hours incubation at 37°C) at very low concentrations of around 1 µmol/L, comparable to the most potent peptides described in the literature.

Microbiota at the forefront of antibiotic resistance

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What are the mechanisms of action? Studies of peptides active against Acinetobacter baumannii or Pseudomonas aeruginosa show that they significantly permeabilize the pathogens’ outer membrane. The efficacy of the main candidate AMPs has also been confirmed in vivo in murine abscess models (infection by A. baumannii). 

These in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate the ability of machine learning to identify functional AMPs from the global microbiome.

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News Gastroenterology General Medicine

Microbiotalk: short conferences on antimicrobial resistance

Breaking the silence: a global conversation on antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a silent pandemic threatening decades of medical progress. This Microbiotalk conference aims to illuminate the multifaceted challenges of AMR, exploring the intricate connections between gut microbiota, environmental factors, and public health. Featuring international experts and patient advocates, the event delves into topics such as the impact of antibiotics on the intestinal microbiota, the emergence of resistance in early childhood, environmental reservoirs of resistant bacteria, and the critical role of patient and public engagement.

By fostering open dialogue and sharing cutting-edge research, this conference empowers healthcare professionals, policymakers, and individuals to take informed action against one of the most pressing health threats of our time.

The gut microbiota
Photo: Microbiotalk - header AMR

Launched during the WAAW 2024 campaign, this conference series offers a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of microbiota as well as exploring major public health challenges, such as antimicrobial resistance, digestive diseases, the resistome, the importance of the first 1,000 days of life, women’s health, and more.

Check out the content of the very first Microbiotalk here on Antimicrobial Resistance.

Microbiotalk - AMR banner - Vanessa Carter

Vanessa Carter

Patient and public involvement is key in tackling AMR

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Vanessa Carter's video on the crucial role of patients and the public in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

"Antibiotic resistance isn’t discussed enough with patients, and many don’t understand the basics. By teaching people about the proper use of antibiotics we can empower them to be part of the solution"

Vanessa Carter's biography

Chair of the WHO Taskforce of AMR Survivors. She became an AMR patient advocate in 2013 after surviving a serious car accident and 10-year facial reconstruction that caused a highly-resistant MRSA infection which she fought for 3 years.

AMR survivor: her testimony

So this was what I call my...or what was my last photo that was taken at the age of 25. On the right-hand side is my mother, our three generations photo, my grandmother and myself.

Very shortly after that,I ended up in a car accident in Johannesburg, South Africa. A car overtook us on the wrong side of the road. We went into a violent spin, and we hit into a concrete wall.

I was resuscitated at the scene and I was taken to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital,where I was put on life support,and I had multiple injuries to my abdomen, to my neck, to my back, and also to my pelvis, and a lot of broken bones on the right side of my face, and I also lost the right eye. So once I was discharged, I faced a nine-year journey ahead of me to reconstruct my face because it was a very complicated area and had a lot of damage to it. So this is basically a snapshot of what my journey looked like. So I had to implant a lot of prosthetics.

On my fourth prosthetic, that needed to be implanted about six years down the line, after being discharged from surgery, I went out shopping. I pulled down the rear-view mirror and I saw this discharge just coming out of my face. I got such a fright, I ended up phoning my plastic surgeon and he said: “this sounds like this could be an infection. We need to do an emergency surgery “, which we did. I got discharged.

Two weeks later, the infection was back again. They did a very similar surgery. They had to clean the prosthetic, and they had to do reconstructive surgery. I got discharged. But two weeks later, the infection came back again, looking worse. I was then admitted for a sinus drainage, because I wasn't just under the care of a plastic surgeon, I had a multidisciplinary team. I had to also consult with the ENT surgeon, with the maxillofacial surgeon, with the plastic surgeon, with an ophthalmologist. Each of them was giving differing opinions and prescribing antibiotics in between me seeing them all. And of course, as I said, I had those ongoing surgeries with the infection reappearing two weeks each time. So eventually, I hardly had a face left.

Eleven months from the first time that I saw that infection, and having that infection come back four times, it had eaten a lot of the tissue away, and they had to remove the prosthetic in emergency. And my plastic surgeon sent it for tests. This was the first time that I heard that word 'test'. So I phoned the pathology offices and I said, "Please, can I see a copy of it understand what's going on?" And when they sent it through to me, there were a lot of R's, there were about four or five S's, meaning I was... I'm sure most of you are working in microbiology, you know.

 

It meant I was either resistant or susceptible to the different antibiotics that were on the left-hand side. And I had a highly drug-resistant MRSA, a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection. My doctors had now given up on me, because this was just maybe too much damaged effects. Plus, I also had the problem of the infection, being a high-risk patient, with the infection coming back again.

I took my medical history. I must have contacted about 25 surgeons overseas, because in Johannesburg, in South Africa, we had a shortage of the type of doctor I needed. I connected with a doctor at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who gave me a 30-minute Skype call and direction of what I needed to do, which was basically to cut the bone, avoid any more foreign objects. We couldn't do plastic surgery. We had to do the maxillofacial surgery first. He said, now take that advice and go find a doctor in Johannesburg that mimics exactly what I said, which I did.

After visiting quite a few, I found a doctor. You can see him on the bottom right-hand side. His name was Professor Reyneke, and he performed the surgery, and it looked amazing. We couldn't believe that we had gotten rid of this deficit. It felt like it was worth all that hassle. Because it was basically a year from the time they took the prosthetic out to the time that we could get it fixed.

But like a bad case of déjà vu, the infection came back. This time not just in the skin, it was also in the bone. So I had osteomyelitis, and I had also developed an allergy to the topical antibacterial that they were using on the skin. At this point, you can imagine my heart sank, I completely lost hope, because I was not beating this resistant infection.

But Professor Reyneke basically started to rotate last-resort antibiotics. So he would have me on one for two weeks, for 10 days, I'd have to go back and he'd check it and he would put me on a different course depending on how I was responding to them.

And three months later, after doing that, it started to clear again. I then, probably about two weeks later, ended up in hospital with an adhesive bowel obstruction. My stomach, I think from all the use of those antibiotics,

I ended up having a section of my intestines removed. I also had adhesions problems, but of course, the antibiotics weren't helping the situation. After getting through that, this is kind of what the result was.

Again, nine years, just under 10 years of having to fight all of that. And of course, three years in total spent fighting resistant infections. When we were complete with that, and I haven't put all my slides in here, but one of the I got very frustrated about was because it was not common knowledge. Why was AMR, why was antibiotic resistance not being discussed with me as a patient?

I've done a lot of work since then. One of the things that I've done more recently is to establish a charity called the AMR Narrative, which focuses on advocacy capacity development and raising awareness, mainly focused on patients and the public. And of course, we work in the four different sectors, as my colleagues were just speaking about now, one health perspective.

This is an example of one of the training programs that we did in Brussels recently, in partnership with the European Patients Forum. We're actually teaching patients the basics of antibiotic resistance because those conversations are still not happening. This particular photo is of 30 young patient advocates with long-term health conditions that want to start advocating for AMR in their own regions. Here are a couple of snapshots, I've just come back from... I do a lot of events, but there's a few here that were taken at the United Nations General Assembly, which I'll talk a little bit about in the panel discussion in a minute, where I did the opening of the multi-stakeholder meeting together with the Deputy General of the United Nations and the President of the General Assembly. Very, very important is that political declaration that they've just worked on. I'll bring that up in a minute.

These are some of our tools and resources from the charity. If you go on to our website, you'll be able to see quite a few of them. We've also created a video for patients and the public to learn a little bit more in lay terms, because it is a very scientific topic. Our main aim is to make it understandable for everybody. And that would be it. This is how you would reach us on social media.

Thank you very much.

3 key messages

  • Struggle with a Resistant Infection: Vanessa Carter shared her personal experience of battling a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, which required multiple surgeries and antibiotic treatments over a nine-year period after a car accident. 

  • Importance of Awareness on Antibiotic Resistance: She emphasized the lack of communication and awareness about antibiotic resistance (AMR) with patients, which motivated her to establish a charity, the AMR Narrative, to educate and raise awareness among the public and patients on this crucial issue.

  • Multidisciplinary and International Collaboration: Vanessa highlighted the importance of collaboration among various medical specialists and seeking international advice to treat her complex infection, illustrating the need for a global and coordinated approach in managing resistant infections.

Download her presentation

Microbiotalk - AMR banner - Etienne Ruppé

Pr. Etienne Ruppé

The intestinal microbiota and antibiotic resistance

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Professor Étienne Ruppé's video explaining the link between the gut microbiota and antibiotic resistance.

"HCPs must communicate antibiotic resistance clearly to patients, as misunderstandings persist. We should focus on the broader environment rather than blaming microbiota for resistance."

Pr. Etienne Ruppé's biography

His research focuses on antibiotic resistance, on the interactions between microbiota and the emergence of resistant bacteria, the dynamics of antibiotic resistance genes (the resistome) and the diagnosis of infections, with particular emphasis on the application of new sequencing tools.

Pr. Ruppé's speech

The intestinal microbiota and antibiotic resistance

Thank you very much for the invitation and this wonderful conference you're organizing today. The title of my talk is at the core  of what you're proposing today, the intestinal microbiota being at the core of Antibiotic Resistance.

Let's start by a very simplistic representation of the intestinal microbiota and the resistant bacteria it can host. You know, I think, that the intestinal microbiota harbors a huge number of different microorganisms, the dominant one being the bacteria. We have hundreds of species that we estimate, and most of them are commensal, strict anaerobic bacteria that we culture with great difficulty in the lab, and most of them we don't culture at all. Then we got the opportunistic pathogens such as enterobacterales, enterococcus, and they are subdominant in the gut microbiota because of what we call the barrier effect or colonization resistance. This pressure exerted by anaerobic bacteria on this opportunistic pathogen, has a very important property, and we will see that when we take antibiotics, we just disrupt this equilibrium.

When we carry the resistant bacteria we're going to talk about today, then they are even subdominant in their opportunistic pathogens population. We're here today because antibiotic resistance is a major issue, and we have known now for a few years that it kills a lot of people in the world. We estimate the number of deaths being around a million per year. If we do nothing, if we do not react, there could be a total of around 40 million deaths over the next 30 years.

You see here on this graph the top killers. What I want to stress here is that mainly half of them are enterobacterales, acinetobacter baumannii, pseudomonas aeruginosa, half of them. I think most of the problem of antibiotic resistance lies in those bacteria nowadays.

Then you can see also the little circles with the colors. These are the pathogens for which WHO says that there's a critical high or medium need for new antibiotics.

Then we have this little poop emojis here, and they indicate that before causing infections, those bacteria lie in the gut. They will colonize the intestinal microbiota before causing infections. That is why the intestinal microbiota is really at the core of antibiotic resistance.

If we manage to control, understand what's going on in the intestinal microbiota, then we have leverage on fighting the resistant bacteria. Of course, this is a nice equilibrium, this barrier effect to colonization resistance.

But what if we take antibiotics?

Then we disrupt this equilibrium, we come from a diversified rich microbiota to something less diversified, less rich. Of course, not all antibiotics exert the same effect on the microbiota. It depends on how much they are excreted in the gut, how wide their spectrum is. And according to these variables, then you have a disruption of the microbiota.

If you are already carrying resistant bacteria, they will expand. They also favor implantation and colonization of new resistant bacteria. And this has consequences.

So again, what happens in your gut has external consequences. And we and others have shown that the more resistant bacteria you carry in the gut, then the more at risk you will be for infections caused by this resistant bacteria such as urinary-tract infections, bacterial translocation, especially in neutropenic patients.

You will spread more in the environment, and this is important. If you are in a healthcare structure, then this will promote cross-transmissions to other patients. You will carry it for a longer time, it's even connected to pneumonia. There's a connection between the gut to pneumonia in patients in intensive care, where pneumonia eventually gets colonized in the throat by resistant bacteria from your gut.

Those commensals that we had with anaerobic bacteria, are not devoid of antibiotic resistant genes (ARG). They are just different from the resistant genes carried by the pathogens.

So a few years ago, when I was at IAME, nearby Paris, we characterized this human resistance from the gut. And you will see that it's highly diversified with more than 6,000 resistant genes. We, all in this room, carry in average 1000 resistant genes in our gut. They have a very low identity with the resistant genes that we know from pathogens. They are mostly chromosomal. And with all that, all these arguments, we were starting to think that maybe they were not so bad, because it's really difficult for them to be transferred to pathogens. And I mean, we want our commensal bacteria to be resistant to antibiotics. So maybe antibiotic resistance is not so bad depending on the kind of bacteria they are.

This was my short presentation introducing some topics for today. What I wanted to stress is that the intestinal microbiota is mainly made of anaerobic bacteria where the opportunistic pathogens are subdominant. The majority of the bacteria which causes the biggest problem in terms of antibiotic resistance have an intestinal reservoir before causing infections. When we take antibiotics, we promote the expansion of this bacteria in the gut, and that leads to clinical consequences. We shall not forget our good bacteria, our good commensals. They have lots of resistant genes, and they're not largely transferred to bacterial pathogens.

So with that, thank you very much

3 key messages

  • Role of the Intestinal Microbiota in Antibiotic Resistance: The intestinal microbiota, which includes a vast array of microorganisms, plays a crucial role in harboring both commensal and opportunistic pathogenic bacteria. The balance within this microbiota is essential for preventing the overgrowth of resistant bacteria.

  • Impact of Antibiotics on Microbiota and Resistance: Antibiotic use disrupts the equilibrium of the gut microbiota, reducing its diversity and allowing resistant bacteria to thrive. This disruption can lead to increased risk of infections, environmental spread, and cross-transmission in healthcare settings.

  • Importance of Understanding and Preserving Commensal Bacteria: While commensal bacteria in the gut carry many antibiotic-resistant genes, these genes are not easily transferred to pathogens. Maintaining a healthy population of these commensal bacteria is vital, as they play a protective role and their resistance is generally not harmful.

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Microbiotalk - AMR banner - Søren Johannes Sørensen

Pr. Søren Johannes Sørensen

Antibiotic resistance and infant gut microbiome

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Professor Søren Johannes Sørensen's video on antibiotic resistance and the infant gut microbiota.

"Children treated frequently with antibiotics from an early age carry more antibiotic-resistant genes, especially E. coli, with resistance influenced by antibiotics taken by their mothers, affecting long-term health."

Pr. Søren Johannes Sørensen's biography

Linking the early life resistome and microbiome maturation. His research focuses on social interactions in microbial populations and evaluates the extent of genetic flow within natural communities and their response to environmental perturbations.

Pr. Sørensen's speech

Antibiotic resistance and infant gut microbiome:

Thank you very much for that introduction, and for getting the opportunity to talk to you here today.

I think that we are taking up, actually, our research is following very much in line with what we just heard, because we have been studying a cohort of Danish children.

Actually not so much for the onset of this research for understanding antibiotic resistance, but we were interested in understanding how the microbiome early in life, actually shapes health later on, and specifically in this case, looking at asthma, allergy and those kinds of diseases.

We were already studying the microbiome in early life, and then we were seeing results coming out, that a lot of antibiotic resistance is actually in a reservoir in the gut microbiome of adults.

We were curious to ask, how early is this actually going to be established?

Is it something that we acquire late in life?

Or if we already look at these children?

We were actually following these children from birth. The data we were looking at was from when the children were 1-year-old, which is what I'm going to present.

The question we had was, is there already antibiotic resistance Danish children when they're one year old? And the sad, short answer is yes there is.

There's quite a lot already at that time. What we found, which was surprising to us, is in the bottom of the graph, you see that the distribution of the children and how many antibiotic resistance genes they have. So some children do not have many antibiotic resistant genes, whereas actually another population of the children have a lot. And not only they had many different types of antibiotic resistant genes, they also had them in higher abundance.

The children were divided into two groups. Therefore, we were curious to try to understand what is really determining in the child that early, whether they had a lot of antibiotic resistance or not so many. Since we have been following this cohort very, very carefully with lots of data, we could actually try to look into some of these things.

So the circle around there is kind of all these meta data we have, and one of them may be the cause. What we do find not so surprising is that if the children were subscribed with antibiotics for treatment, quite often in early life, for treating airway diseases for example, then they had a much higher risk of being in the group of children which had a lot of antibiotic resistance. There was a very clear connection there. What we also found was that if mothers during pregnancy, these children are now one year old, if they were taking antibiotics, then the child, one year later, was much more likely to have a lot of antibiotic resistance compared to not so many.

Even the mothers taking antibiotics during pregnancy seem to be very important for this. We were also finding other correlations which are maybe less evident. People living in an urban area have more risk of having antibiotic resistance compared to people living in a rural area.

If you have a pet in your house, you have less risk of having antibiotic resistance, so there are many factors. It's becoming more complicated, but we saw a very clear, not so surprising thing.

If you take antibiotics, then your child has a much higher risk. Actually, we see a lot of antibiotics are prescribed to children. However, if you then look at the right side, you see a diagram showing which antibiotics they are resistant to. The red ones are the antibiotics actually prescribed to either the mother or the child. But we see the two dominating ones, the ones that we find most resistance against, they were never prescribed, to neither the child nor the mother.

This is to show that these things are less simple to understand than we quite often see.
So we were trying to investigate this more. We thought one explanation for this could be that we have co-selection. What we know is often that antibiotic resistance is not sitting alone. It's actually in the genome together with other antibiotic resistance.

We started looking into whether we are seeing co-selection. That is what this graph is showing. It's very difficult for you probably to see here, but what we did find very clearly was that the two very abundant antibiotic resistance genes are co-located with the antibiotic resistance that they are treated with. What we are seeing here is that when we give one antibiotic, and it actually didn't matter which one, it caused a whole package of antibiotic resistant genes to come together.

When we were looking more at the co-selection here to see not only what antibiotic resistant were found together, but also why they were also together with other genes, what we found was that they were quite often with virulent genes. Actually, when you're selecting for antibiotic resistance with antibiotics, not only are the bacteria becoming antibiotic resistant, they are also actually becoming a worse pathogen. They're actually at the same time acquiring genes which are making them a more persistent and virulent pathogen. Finally, what we were seeing was that they were also co-located with mobile genes.

What bacteria can do, which is fantastic when you think about it, is they can exchange genes with each other. If a bacteria meets another bacteria and says, "oh, I like your eye color," then they can change it, and then they have the same color.

Of course, they don't have eyes, but they do have antibiotic resistant genes, so they can exchange a trait from one bacteria to another. And those are quite often, a mobile genetic element. And what we have shown very clearly here is that the antibiotic resistance is sitting in these children together in big packets on mobile genetic elements so that they can exchange it in the gut between one bacteria or another.

So even though maybe it's not a potentially pathogenic bacteria in the gut of the children, maybe if they get pathogenic bacteria, they can acquire them there. But not only that, I mean when we're thinking about the likelihood, and if it's an airway bacteria, maybe it's never getting into the gut. The thing is, though, that a gut bacteria is not always in the gut.

All of us, also children, are actually going to the toilet several times a day. So the gut bacteria are actually leaving the gut. They're flushed down the toilet. And that's actually an important phenomenon we also need to investigate.

3 key messages

  • Early Establishment of Antibiotic Resistance in Children: Research on Danish children shows that antibiotic resistance can be established as early as one year old. Children exposed to antibiotics early in life, or whose mothers took antibiotics during pregnancy, are more likely to carry a high number of antibiotic-resistant genes.

  • Factors Influencing Antibiotic Resistance: Various factors influence the presence of antibiotic resistance in children, including urban living, antibiotic use, and even having pets. The study found that children in urban areas had higher resistance, while living in the countryside or those with pets had lower resistance.

  • Co-selection and Gene Exchange Among Bacteria: Antibiotic resistance genes are often co-located with other resistance and virulence genes on mobile genetic elements. This allows bacteria to exchange these genes, increasing the risk of spreading resistance and making pathogens more virulent.

Download his presentation

Antibiotics: what impact on the microbiota and on our health?

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Microbiotalk - AMR banner - Elitsa Penkova

Elitsa Penkova

Antimicrobial resistance in rivers - a public health risk ?

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Elitsa Penkova's video on the presence of antimicrobial resistance in rivers and its potential impacts on public health.

"Antibiotics we take end up in waste, polluting rivers with resistant bacteria, affecting public health, like wild swimmers."

Elitsa Penkova's biography

Elitsa Penkova is a PhD student at the University of Exeter, focusing on assessing health risks related to exposure to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in freshwater environments. Her research specifically investigates how swimmers in rivers might be exposed to antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes, aiming to understand the potential public health implications of AMR transmission through natural freshwater environments.

Elitsa Penkova's speech

Antimicrobial resistance in rivers - a public health risk ?:

Thanks for the introduction and thank you for having me. Now, you might be wondering, what does antimicrobial resistance have to do with rivers? This is a hospital issue, right? But for people like me who study antibiotic resistance, these environments are particularly interesting because they already contain, all the necessary components, for the evolution of resistance, to come together in one place, as some of our speakers already alluded to.

So first, in rivers, we have environmental bacteria, and the majority of these are not considered harmful to public health. Some can be, of course, but the majority are involved in things like nutrient cycling, and they're just a normal part of the environmental ecosystem.

But the reason why they're so interesting is because they carry diverse resistance mechanisms. This is because over a millennium, they have had time to coexist with various types of microorganisms which produce antibiotic molecules. And microbes produce these molecules to communicate with each other or to fight each other off. To be able to coexist alongside these microbes which produce antibiotic molecules, environmental bacteria have had to adapt and evolve various coping strategies or resistance mechanisms.

The real issue here is when these resistance mechanisms become transferable, because unlike humans who can only pass down genes from a parent to our offspring, bacteria can actually share genes between both related and unrelated species.

 While it's really fascinating to see how they can literally share a gene from one cell to the other in the previous talk, this is also really terrifying because it means that once a resistance mechanism has emerged and has become transferable, then this has the potential to very quickly spread within and between bacterial populations.

And this is also how bacteria are able to accumulate multiple resistant genes at the same time, which is how we go from a resistant bacteria to what we call a superbug. And here I've included an example of the ability to share genes between environmental bacteria and clinically important pathogens.

The example here is on beta-lactams. Sorry, beta-lactam resistance. Beta-lactams are a class of antibiotics which are most commonly used globally in the resistance mechanism, which bacteria use to overcome the toxicity of these antibiotics, that is beta-lactam resistance. Beta-lactam resistance are enzymes, which bind to the antibiotic and degrade it, essentially. But the genes that are encoding these enzymes are considered to have originally evolved in environmental bacteria and only later transfer to clinically important pathogens.

And this is just to illustrate that while environmental bacteria not necessarily a threat to public health, they can serve as a reservoir for clinically important pathogens, which, incidentally, are also found in rivers. So with our waste, we're continuously enriching rivers in other natural fresh water environments with both human and animal-associated bacteria, but also with various antimicrobial compounds, including antibiotics, of course.

When we take antibiotics, we don't fully metabolize these, and the majority can be excreted directly into our toilets, and from there, drained into our wastewater treatment systems. There are different ways that we process waste, but none of them are designed specifically to remove antibiotic-resistant genes or antimicrobial compounds. So some of these will eventually end up in rivers.

And in addition to this, of course, we hear more often now that wastewater treatment plans are actually permitted to discard untreated or partially treated sewage directly into rivers during heavy rainfalls. This is to prevent themselves from becoming overwhelmed and preventing wastewater backing into people's homes, which is fair enough. But we don't really know what this means for the growing community of wild swimmers, which is what my research focuses on.

And there's actually very little focus on how exposure to antimicrobial resistance in these environments is affecting public health.

We know from previous work in Norway, from a case-control study, that freshwater swimming was identified as an independent risk factor for acquiring resistant infections, resistant urinary tract infections.

We also know from a study in Norway, which estimated that freshwater swimming accounted for about 6% of the acquisition of resistant cases in the community over the summer months.

We know from a study on UK coastal swimmers, so not freshwater swimmers, but coastal swimmers. Surfers were found to be four times more likely to carrying antibiotic resistant bacteria than people who don't go into the water.

And similar to that study, I'm now working to understand whether fresh water swimmers are at high risk of carrying resistant bacteria in their guts. But as I'm still collecting my samples, I'm not able to talk about my findings yet, but I'm happy to take any questions if you have them.

Thank you

3 key messages

  • Rivers as Reservoirs for Antibiotic Resistance: Rivers contain environmental bacteria that have developed diverse resistance mechanisms over millennia. These bacteria can transfer resistance genes to clinically important pathogens, making rivers significant reservoirs for antibiotic resistance.

  • Impact of Wastewater on River Microbiota: Human and animal waste, along with antimicrobial compounds, are continuously introduced into rivers through wastewater. Wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove antibiotic-resistant genes, leading to the enrichment of rivers with these genes, especially during heavy rainfalls when untreated sewage is discharged.

  • Public Health Risks for Freshwater Swimmers: Exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria in rivers poses a public health risk, particularly for freshwater swimmers. Studies have shown that swimming in freshwater can increase the risk of acquiring resistant infections, highlighting the need for more research on the impact of antimicrobial resistance in natural water environments.

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Microbiotalk - AMR banner - Edith Odeh

Edith Odeh

Ampiclox and contraception, raise awareness on AMR

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Edith Odeh's video on the use of Ampiclox as a contraceptive and the issues surrounding antimicrobial resistance awareness.

"Raising awareness about reproductive health is key in communities where many women are misinformed. Knowledge empowers and improves society."

Edith Odeh' biography

Passionate and committed pharmacist in Nigeria.
Founder of Kings Heritage Pharmaceutical Limited, Asaba, Nigeria.

She has opened a health center bringing together pharmacists, doctors and volunteers to provide reliable information on contraceptive methods and alert women to the long-term consequences of antibiotic abuse, such as microbiota dysbiosis and AMR.

This ambition earned her the first Henri Boulard prize in 2021.

Her project: raise awareness on AMR, Ampiclox use and contraception

I want to start by sharing my early inspiration and motivation. In 2015,early in my career as a community pharmacist, on a fateful day, a father brought in his 13-year-old child who was suffering from severe diarrhea.

So after a thorough review of the patient's medical history, I decided to initiate treatment with probiotic. Within an hour of initiating this treatment, the teen who had arrived carrying a waste bucket was able to leave the pharmacy comfortably wearing just his diaper. This wonderful experience sparked my interest in Biocodex's commitment to evidence-based medicine, inspiring me to develop a grant project which is titled, establishing a reproductive health facility to address safe contraception methods and to dispel the myths surrounding the use of Ampiclox capsule as a female contraceptive in Nigeria.

And you may be wondering, what is the correlation between Saccharomyces and contraception? Having demonstrated such a level of honesty and standard, I was convinced that this institute has a sincere purpose, and if I merit this award, I was going to win.

Now, coming to the scope of my project and the implementation. The project, which focused mainly on reproductive health and safe contraception methods, reached out to seven communities, engaging an average of 20% of the populace in each community. We distributed free contraceptive educational materials and anthelmintics and inspirational books, to provide these communities with accurate reproductive knowledge and rational use of antibiotics. Now, recognizing the cultural sensitivity of the project, we collaborated closely with community heads, religious leaders, and healthcare professionals to pilot our approach.

This led to an impressive turnout of 20% across the communities. Through this project, we succeeded in reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies, improving responsible antibiotic use, and promoting healthcare community practices, leveraging on local partnership. We succeeded in yielding, in getting the result of the project and addressing a specific community need. In a community where you have about 50% of the female population misinformed, and naive about their reproductive health, it was a huge burden.

But as a result of this project, we were able to sensitize them, and they are now better equipped with reproductive knowledge. They have a better control. So these are some of the pictures from the outreach.

King's Heritage Pharma Limited plans to train local representatives in each community who will serve as ongoing educators and champions for reproductive health. We also aim to extend our outreach to more communities and build stronger partnership with healthcare professionals. We also intend to enhance the initiative by collaborating more with local influencers.

Our reproductive health facility, which is strategically located at Agbaroto-Otor, Ughelli, in North Delta State, will serve as a center for support and education. Now, as we continue to expand our outreach and build partnership with healthcare professionals for sustainable impact, we invite all healthcare professionals, community leaders, and educators to join us in advancing reproductive health and rational use of antibiotics.

With your support and collaboration, we can empower more advocates, dispel harmful myths, and provide life-changing resources. Together, we can create a healthier, informed, and a more resilient community.

Thank you.

3 key messages

  • Inspiration and Commitment to Evidence-Based Medicine: Edith's early experience as a community pharmacist, successfully treating a child with severe diarrhea using probiotics, inspired her commitment to evidence-based medicine and led her to develop a grant project focused on reproductive health and safe contraception methods in Nigeria.

  • Community Outreach and Education: The project reached seven communities, engaging 20% of the population in each, and provided educational materials on contraception and antibiotics. By collaborating with community leaders and healthcare professionals, the project successfully reduced unwanted pregnancies and improved responsible antibiotic use.

  • Sustainable Impact and Future Plans: The reproductive health facility in North Delta State built thanks to the grant received will serve as a center for support and education, aiming to build stronger partnerships and empower communities with accurate reproductive health knowledge.

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Microbiotalk - AMR banner - Greatman Adiela

Greatman Adiela Owhor

The 100 AMR stewards project

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Greatman Adiela Owhor's video presenting the "100 Stewards Against AMR" project.

"This project was to empower professionals and caregivers, and implement robust antibiotic stewardship initiatives in healthcare settings."

Greatman Adiela Owhor's biography

Greatman Adiela Owhor is a dedicated pharmacist and health content creator with a strong foundation in research, project management, and health promotion. He is an emerging researcher with growing expertise, having already published in respected journals like *The Lancet* and the *International Journal of Health Planning and Management. * His work has earned over 150 citations and an H-index of 3, reflecting his impact in the field.

Greatman's commitment to public health has been widely recognized. In 2021, he received the prestigious Diana Award from the United Kingdom, an honour awarded to young people making significant contributions to their communities. Additionally, he was named "Pharmacist of the Year" in Rivers State in 2020 and "Public Health Promoter of the Year" in 2021. His work was further celebrated with a feature on World Volunteering Day in Nigeria (2020) for his public health contributions.

In 2023, Greatman founded *CommCase*, a groundbreaking platform connecting community pharmacists globally to address challenging cases encountered in practice. CommCase facilitated the resolution of over 1,000 cases within its first year, earning widespread recognition across Africa. For his work with CommCase, Greatman was named Nigeria’s "Top Pharmacy Innovator of 2023" by Mega We Care Pharmaceuticals.

Greatman's efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) reached new heights in 2023 when he was awarded the Henri Boulard Public Health Award. With this award, he launched a nationwide AMR awareness campaign that engaged thousands of individuals both online and offline, achieving a 50% increase in awareness in the targeted areas.

With an active following of over 70,000 on X (formerly Twitter), Greatman continues to advocate for public health and AMR stewardship. Looking to the future, he aims to leverage health promotion and technology to significantly impact community health and well-being.

His project: the 100 AMR stewards project

My name is Greatman Adiela, and I am the team leader for 100 AMR Stewards Project. This project was primarily designed to empower 100 individuals to carry out local antimicrobial resistance projects in their region.

This project was possible because of the support from the Biocodex Foundation.

So we started with a four-month online campaign where we reached out, to over 600,000 Nigerians, and we engaged them about issues related to antimicrobial resistance in their region.

We leveraged platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn in carrying out this engagement.

This was quickly followed up by scouting for stewards, 100 of them, training them, helping them understand the Antimicrobial resistance and the issues peculiar to their environment, and also supporting them in executing a local project.

Nigeria is divided into six geopolitical zones, so we're careful to ensure that our 100 stewards are spread out across these zones.

We became emotional after two months because the stewards overdelivered on their project. We are pleased to have done projects in abattoirs, markets, schools, and even on the streets.

We ensured that these projects were measurable. Therefore, the stewards had to make some form of assessment to get numbers or figures about the understanding of AMR in their region or about issues related to AMR.

And then after their campaigns or projects, they were also made to reassess the same metrics that were previously assessed to see if there had been an improvement. And we are pleased because some regions experienced more than a 70% increase in their knowledge of antimicrobial resistance.

We are excited about what we've done over the past months, and we are even more excited about doing more in the future.

On behalf of all the stewards and my team, I want to say thank you, to Biocodex Microbiota Foundation, for partially supporting this project and bringing all our dreams to life.

Thank you.

3 key messages

  • Empowerment and Training of AMR Stewards: The 100 AMR Stewards Project aimed to empower 100 individuals across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones to carry out local antimicrobial resistance (AMR) projects. These stewards were trained to understand AMR issues specific to their regions and supported in executing measurable local projects.

  • Extensive Online Engagement: The project began with a four-month online campaign that reached over 600,000 Nigerians through platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. This campaign raised awareness about AMR and engaged the public on related issues.

  • Significant Impact and Future Plans: The stewards' projects led to a more than 70% increase in AMR knowledge in some regions. The success of these initiatives has motivated the team to continue expanding their efforts, with plans to train more local representatives and build stronger partnerships for sustainable impact.

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