Enrichment of antibiotic resistance genes within bacteriophage populations in saliva samples from individuals undergoing oral antibiotic treatments

Abstract

Spread of antibiotic resistance is a significant challenge for our modern health care system, and even more so in developing countries with higher prevalence of both infections and resistant bacteria. Faulty usage of antibiotics has been pinpointed as a driving factor in spread of resistant bacteria through selective pressure. However, horizontal gene transfer mediated through bacteriophages may also play an important role in this spread. In a cohort of Tanzanian patients suffering from bacterial infections, we demonstrate significant differences in the oral microbial diversity between infected and non-infected individuals, as well as before and after oral antibiotics treatment. Further, the resistome carried both by bacteria and bacteriophages vary significantly, with blaCTX-M1 resistance genes being mobilized and enriched within phage populations. This may impact how we consider spread of resistance in a biological context, as well in terms of treatment regimes.