Resistoma clínico intestinal de indivíduos onívoros, ovolactovegetarianos e vegetarianos estritos

Abstract

Human activities have exerted an intense selective pressure on microbial communities in nature, which has resulted in different levels of modulation of different microbial ecosystems. Among these activities, the use of xenobiotics in food production, as well as human eating habits, act as an expressive force that contribute to the antimicrobial resistance phenomenon. The horizontal genetic flux between exogenous microbiota and intestinal microbiota is recognized, with food having an important role in microbial transmission in this context. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate aspects of the clinical resistance of the human intestinal microbiota among healthy individuals with different eating habits. Three groups of volunteers with different eating habits, omnivorous (ON), ovolactovegetarians (VT) and strict vegetarians (VG), were submitted to nutritional and anthropometric assessment. From the metagenomic DNA obtained from fecal samples of these individuals, the occurrence of 37 genetic markers related to resistance to antimicrobials of human medical importance was evaluated by conventional PCR for the characterization of clinical resistome. The correlation between different eating habits and the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG) was assessed. A total of 19 ON, 20 VT and 19 VG were analyzed. There were no significant differences in the mean caloric intake between the groups. Mean protein intake was significantly higher in ON group and fiber and carbohydrate consumption was higher in VG group. From the screened ARG, 22 were detected. No clear relationship between diets and occurrence of ARG was observed. Resistance genes against tetracyclines, β-lactams and MLS group (macrolides, lincosamides and streptogramins) were the most frequent, followed by resistance genes against sulfonamides and aminoglycosides. Vegetables and minimally processed foods seem to be the main source of ARG for human gut microbiota. Although the eating habits vary among the individuals, the open environment and the widespread ARG from different human activities draws attention to the complexity of the antimicrobial resistance phenomenon and the need for its handling in the One Health context