Short-chain fatty acids of various lengths differentially inhibit Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacteriaceae species

ABSTRACT

The gut microbiota is inextricably linked to human health and disease. It can confer colonization resistance against invading pathogens either through niche occupation and nutrient competition or via its secreted metabolites. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) are the primary metabolites in the gut as a result of dietary fiber fermentation by the gut microbiota. In this work, we demonstrate that the interaction of single-species gut commensals on solid media is insufficient for pathogen inhibition, but supernatants from monocultures of these commensal bacteria enriched in acetate confer inhibition against anaerobic growth of the enteric pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae. The three primary SCFAs (acetate, propionate, and butyrate) strongly inhibit the intestinal commensal Escherichia coli Nissle as well as a panel of enteric pathogens besides K. pneumoniae at physiological pH of the cecum and ascending colon. This inhibition was significantly milder on anaerobic gut commensals Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Bifidobacterium adolescentis previously demonstrated to be associated with microbiota recovery after antibiotic-induced dysbiosis. We describe a general suppression of bacterial membrane potential by these SCFAs at physiological cecum and ascending colonic pH. Furthermore, the strength of bacterial inhibition increases with increasing alkyl chain length. Overall, the insights gained in this study shed light on the potential therapeutic use of SCFAs for conferring colonization resistance against invading pathogens in a dysbiotic gut.

IMPORTANCE

Rising antimicrobial resistance has made treatment of bacterial infections increasingly difficult. According to the World Health Organization, it has become a burgeoning threat to hospital and public health systems worldwide. This threat is largely attributed to the global rise of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in recent years, with common hospital-acquired pathogens growing increasingly resistant to last-line antibiotics. Antibiotics disrupt the homeostatic balance of the gut microbiota, resulting in the loss of colonization resistance against enteric pathogens. This work describes the ability of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by gut microbiota to be effective against a wide panel of enteric pathogens without major impact on common gut commensal species. We also demonstrate a previously undescribed link between alkyl chain length and antibacterial effects of SCFAs. SCFAs, thus, hold promise as an alternative therapeutic option leveraging on the antimicrobial activity of these endogenously produced gut metabolites without disrupting gut microbiota homeostasis.