Abstract BackgroundSepsis and trauma are known to disrupt gut bacterial microbiome communities, but the impacts and perturbations in the fungal (mycobiome) community after severe infection or injury, particularly in patients experiencing chronic critical illness (CCI), remain unstudied. MethodsWe assess persistence of the gut mycobiome perturbation (dysbiosis) in patients experiencing CCI following sepsis or trauma for up to two-to-three weeks after intensive care unit hospitalization. ResultsWe show that the dysbiotic mycobiome arrays shift toward a pathobiome state, which is more susceptible to infection, in CCI patients compared to age-matched healthy subjects. The fungal community in CCI patients is largely dominated byCandidaspp; while, the commensal fungal species are depleted. Additionally, these myco-pathobiome arrays correlate with alterations in micro-ecological niche involving specific gut bacteria and gut-blood metabolites. ConclusionsThe findings reveal the persistence of mycobiome dysbiosis in both sepsis and trauma settings, even up to two weeks post-sepsis and trauma, highlighting the need to assess and address the increased risk of fungal infections in CCI patients. Graphical Abstract
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Hospital antimicrobial stewardship: profiling the oral microbiome after exposure to COVID-19 and antibiotics
IntroductionDuring the COVID-19 Delta variant surge, the CLAIRE cross-sectional study sampled saliva from 120 hospitalized patients, 116 of whom had a positive COVID-19 PCR test. Patients received antibiotics upon admission due to possible secondary bacterial infections, with patients at risk of sepsis receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics (BSA). MethodsThe saliva samples were analyzed with shotgun DNA metagenomics and respiratory RNA virome sequencing. Medical records for the period of hospitalization were obtained for all patients. Once hospitalization outcomes were known, patients were classified based on their COVID-19 disease severity and the antibiotics they received. ResultsOur study reveals that BSA regimens differentially impacted the human salivary microbiome and disease progression. 12 patients died and all of them received BSA. Significant associations were found between the composition of the COVID-19 saliva microbiome and BSA use, between SARS-CoV-2 genome coverage and severity of disease. We also found significant associations between the non-bacterial microbiome and severity of disease, withCandida albicansdetected most frequently in critical patients. For patients who did not receive BSA before saliva sampling, our study suggestsStaphylococcus aureusas a potential risk factor for sepsis. DiscussionOur results indicate that the course of the infection may be explained by both monitoring antibiotic treatment and profiling a patient’s salivary microbiome, establishing a compelling link between microbiome and the specific antibiotic type and timing of treatment. This approach can aid with emergency room triage and inpatient management but also requires a better understanding of and access to narrow-spectrum agents that target pathogenic bacteria.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2109688
- PAR ID:
- 10540240
- Publisher / Repository:
- Frontiers in Microbiology
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Frontiers in Microbiology
- Volume:
- 15
- ISSN:
- 1664-302X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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