Abstract
Background
Lack of antimicrobial agents is a rising global concern. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of a specific antimicrobial protein bacteriocin, Klebicin KvarM, in treating K. pneumoniae-induced intestinal colonization in a mouse model, and its effect on commensal gut microbiota.
Methods
Antimicrobial activity of KvarM in comparison to conventional antibiotic therapy with ciprofloxacin was tested in murine models for K. pneumoniae gastrointestinal tract infection. The haemolysin gene (khe) was chosen as the qualitative marker for Klebsiella genus identification, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing of V1-V2 hypervariable region was performed for analyses of gut microbiota.
Results
Our results demonstrated that KvarM was highly effective in reducing K. pneumoniae colonization, showing the same efficacy as ciprofloxacin. Following K. pneumoniae inoculation, administration of KvarM resulted in a significant reduction in bacterial load indicating a 99% effectiveness. Furthermore, microbiome analysis of the gut microbiota revealed that KvarM therapy showed no significant changes in microbial composition compared with commensal microbiota composition, whereas administration of ciprofloxacin led to a significant decrease in microbial diversity.
Conclusion
These findings demonstrate that Klebicin KvarM therapy is highly effective for treating intestinal K. pneumoniae infections and it does not significantly affect the integrity of the gut microbiota. The study provides valuable insights into the development of antimicrobial agents and highlights the importance of microbiome-friendly approaches in combating antibiotic-resistant pathogens.