Dynamic changes in antibiotic resistance genes and gut microbiota after Helicobacter pylori eradication therapies

Background: Short-term antibiotics exposure is associated with alterations in microbiota and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the human gut. While antibiotics are critical in the successful eradication of Helicobacter pylori, the short-term and long-term impacts on the composition and quantity of antibiotics resistance genes after H. pylori eradication are unclear. This study used whole-genome shotgun metagenomic of stool samples to characterize the gut microbiota and ARGs, before and after H. pylori eradication therapy.

Results: Forty-four H. pylori-infected patients were recruited, including 21 treatment naïve patients who received clarithromycin-based triple therapy (CLA group) and 23 patients who failed previous therapies, in which 10 received levofloxacin-based quadruple therapy (LEVO group) and 13 received other combinations (OTHER group). Stool samples were collected at baseline (before current treatment), 6 week and 6 month after eradication therapy. At baseline, there was only a slight difference among the three groups on ARGs and gut microbiota. After eradication therapy, there was a transient but significant increase in gut ARGs 6 week post-therapy, among which the LEVO group had the most significant ARGs alteration compared to other two groups. For treatment naïve patients, those with higher ErmF abundance were prone to fail CLA eradication and gain more ARGs after treatment. For gut microbiota, the bacteria richness decreased at 6 week and there was a significant difference in microbiota community among the three groups at 6 week.

Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated the dynamic alterations in gut microbiota and ARGs induced by different eradication therapies, which could influence the choices of antibiotics in eradication therapy.