Antibiotic prophylaxis sets the stage for an intestinal bloom ofCandida albicans, which can progress to invasive candidiasis in patients with hematologic malignancies. Commensal bacteria can reestablish microbiota-mediated colonization resistance after completion of antibiotic therapy, but they cannot engraft during antibiotic prophylaxis. Here we use a mouse model to provide a proof of concept for an alternative approach, which replaces commensal bacteria functionally with drugs to restore colonization resistance againstC. albicans. Streptomycin treatment, which depletes Clostridia from the gut microbiota, disrupted colonization resistance againstC. albicansand increased epithelial oxygenation in the large intestine. Inoculating mice with a defined community of commensal Clostridia species reestablished colonization resistance and restored epithelial hypoxia. Notably, these functions of commensal Clostridia species could be replaced functionally with the drug 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), which activates mitochondrial oxygen consumption in the epithelium of the large intestine. When streptomycin-treated mice received 5-ASA, the drug reestablished colonization resistance against C. albicans and restored physiological hypoxia in the epithelium of the large intestine. We conclude that 5-ASA treatment is a non-biotic intervention that restores colonization resistance against C. albicans without requiring the administration of live bacteria.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.