Candida albicans and Bacterial Microbiota Interactions in the Cecum during Recolonization following Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Therapy

Abstract

ABSTRACTCandida albicansis a normal member of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract microbiota of healthy humans, but during host immunosuppression or alterations in the bacterial microbiota,C. albicanscan disseminate and cause life-threatening illness. The bacterial microbiome of the GI tract, including lactic acid bacteria (LAB), plays a vital role in preventing fungal invasion. However, little is known about the role ofC. albicansin shaping the bacterial microbiota during antibiotic recovery. We investigated the fungal burdens in the GI tracts of germfree mice and mice with a disturbed microbiome to demonstrate the role of the microbiota in preventingC. albicanscolonization. Histological analysis demonstrated that colonization withC. albicansduring antibiotic treatment does not trigger overt inflammation in the murine cecum. Bacterial diversity is reduced long term following cefoperazone treatment, but the presence ofC. albicansduring antibiotic recovery promoted the recovery of bacterial diversity. Cefoperazone diminishesBacteroidetespopulations long term in the ceca of mice, but the presence ofC. albicansduring cefoperazone recovery promotedBacteroidetespopulation recovery. However, the presence ofC. albicansresulted in a long-term reduction inLactobacillusspp. and promotedEnterococcus faecalispopulations. Previous studies have focused on the ability of bacteria to alterC. albicans; this study addresses the ability ofC. albicansto alter the bacterial microbiota during nonpathogenic colonization.