Gut microbiota features and risk of acquiring antibiotic resistant organisms in nursing home patients. human gut metagenome

Nursing home patients are often vulnerable to colonization and infections caused by antibiotic resistant organisms. In addition to infection prevention measures within the nursing home setting, we hypothesized that clinical exposures during previous hospitalization also contribute to the elevated risk. Our results show that prior exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics can lead to disrupted microbiota features which in turn increase the risk of acquiring enteric antibiotic resistant organisms. This finding indicates that hospitals and nursing homes need to take a coordinated approach to curb the spread of antibiotic resistance.