Murine Model for Measuring Effects of Humanized-Dosing of Antibiotics on the Gut Microbiome

There is a current need for enhancing our insight in the effects of antimicrobial treatment on the composition of human microbiota. Also, the spontaneous restoration of the microbiota after antimicrobial treatment requires better understanding. This is best addressed in well-defined animal models. We here present a model in which immune-competent or neutropenic mice were administered piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP) according to human treatment schedules. Before, during and after the TZP treatment, fecal specimens were longitudinally collected at established intervals over several weeks. Gut microbial taxonomic distribution and abundance were assessed through culture and molecular means during all periods. Non-targeted metabolomics analyses of stool samples using Quadrupole Time of Flight mass spectrometry (QTOF MS) were also applied to determine if a metabolic fingerprint correlated with antibiotic use, immune status, and microbial abundance. TZP treatment led to a 5–10-fold decrease in bacterial fecal viability counts which were not fully restored during post-antibiotic follow up. Two distinct, relatively uniform and reproducible restoration scenarios of microbiota changes were seen in post TZP-treatment mice. Post-antibiotic flora could consist of predominantly Firmicutes or, alternatively, a more diverse mix of taxa. In general, the pre-treatment microbial communities were not fully restored within the screening periods applied. A new species, closely related to Eubacterium siraeum, Mageeibacillus indolicus, and Saccharofermentans acetigenes, became predominant post-treatment in a significant proportion of mice, identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Principal component analysis of QTOF MS of mouse feces successfully distinguished treated from non-treated mice as well as immunocompetent from neutropenic mice. We observe dynamic but distinct and reproducible responses in the mouse gut microbiota during and after TZP treatment and propose the current murine model as a useful tool for defining the more general post-antibiotic effects in the gastro-intestinal ecosystem where humanized antibiotic dosing may ultimately facilitate extrapolation to humans.