Gut microbiome alpha diversity decreases in relation to body weight, antibiotic exposure, and infection with multidrug-resistant organisms

Abstract

The human gastrointestinal tract is home to a dense and diverse microbiome, predominated by bacteria. Despite the conservation of critical functionality across most individuals, the composition of the gut microbiome is highly individualized, leading to differential responses to perturbations such as oral antibiotics or multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infection. Herein, subject responses to these perturbations based on their body weight were evaluated. Fecal samples were collected from 45 subjects at the Detroit Medical Center to evaluate the effects of perturbations on subjects' gut microbiome composition. Bacterial profiling was completed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Subjects with multiple MDROs, subjects weighing greater than 80kg infected with MDRO E coli, and subjects weighing less than 80kg with exposure to vancomycin and carbapenem antibiotics during hospitalization had significantly decreased gut microbiome richness. Both administration of oral antibiotics and MDRO infections decreased gut microbiome alpha diversity, but the magnitude of these gut microbiome perturbations was body weight dependent.