<i>Prevotella melaninogenica</i>, a Sentinel Species of Antibiotic Resistance in Cystic Fibrosis Respiratory Niche?

• Main Authors: Claudie Lamoureux, Charles-Antoine Guilloux, Elise Courteboeuf, Stéphanie Gouriou, Clémence Beauruelle, Geneviève Héry-Arnaud
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: Microorganisms
• Subjects: antibiotics susceptibility; <i>Prevotella melaninogenica</i>; cystic fibrosis; resistance
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/6/1275

The importance and abundance of strict anaerobic bacteria in the respiratory microbiota of people with cystic fibrosis (PWCF) is now established through studies based on high-throughput sequencing or extended-culture methods. In CF respiratory niche, one of the most prevalent anaerobic genera is <i>Prevotella</i>, and particularly the species <i>Prevotella melaninogenica.</i> The objective of this study was to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility of this anaerobic species. Fifty isolates of <i>P. melaninogenica</i> cultured from sputum of 50 PWCF have been included. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the agar diffusion method. All isolates were susceptible to the following antibiotics: amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, piperacillin/tazobactam, imipenem and metronidazole. A total of 96% of the isolates (48/50) were resistant to amoxicillin (indicating beta-lactamase production), 34% to clindamycin (17/50) and 24% to moxifloxacin (12/50). Moreover, 10% (5/50) were multidrug-resistant. A significant and positive correlation was found between clindamycin resistance and chronic azithromycin administration. This preliminary study on a predominant species of the lung “anaerobiome” shows high percentages of resistance, potentially exacerbated by the initiation of long-term antibiotic therapy in PWCF. The anaerobic resistome characterization, focusing on species rather than genera, is needed in the future to better prevent the emergence of resistance within lung microbiota.