Genes responsible for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can spread from microbe to microbe through circular genetic material called plasmids, and this lateral transfer occurs in the gut. In Applied and Environmental Microbiology, researchers in Iowa report that the transmission of some AMR plasmids may be inhibited by a readily available source—dietary zinc supplements.
"This is the first time where we've discovered that zinc inhibits the process of plasmid transfer, and at lower concentrations it has minimal effect on bacteria," said microbiologist and senior author on the study Melha Mellata, Ph.D., at Iowa State University.
That's important, she said, because killing gut bacteria might disrupt the microbiome, which could have downstream ill effects on a person's health. "But if we just prevent the plasmid transfer, then we can reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance."
AMR infections are a growing problem. Millions of people are diagnosed with AMR infections every year and 35,000 people die from them, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When bacteria transfer AMR genes, Mellata said, they often transfer resistance to multiple drugs, which means that a person might have a resistant infection even before they receive antibiotics. Stopping the transfer of plasmids could help slow the spread of AMR genes.
Researchers in Mellata's lab have been investigating how gut microbiome health relates to overall health. In a recent study, however, they found that when both probiotics and a live Salmonella vaccine were given orally to chickens, the Enterobacteriaceae bacteria in the animal gut had fewer plasmids. That observation, Mellata said, prompted them to consider testing other oral treatments to inhibit plasmid transfer.
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