𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬

The gut microbiome is a dynamic ecosystem within the human body, playing essential roles in various physiological processes. Antibiotic exposure can disrupt this delicate balance, leading to long-term alterations termed dysbiosis. Understanding the factors influencing gut microbiome resilience is crucial for mitigating adverse effects on human health. Researchers in this study aimed to investigate the impact of pre-antibiotic microbial and functional profiles on resilience, focusing on resistance and recovery aspects.

Key Scientific Findings:

1. Antibiotic-induced Perturbation: Antibiotic exposure induced significant perturbation in the gut microbiota, reaching twice the scale of perturbation observed in healthy individuals over the same time interval. However, the microbiota gradually returned to a level similar to non-treated individuals during recovery.
2. Functional Redundancy and Perturbation: High functional redundancy was associated with stable functioning in the microbiome community under external perturbation. Conversely, a positive correlation was found between functional redundancy and the extent of perturbation upon antibiotic exposure.
3. Microbial Composition and Resilience: Specific microbial taxa demonstrated resilience to antibiotic perturbation, with SCFA-producing species like 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘢 𝘴𝘱., 𝘙𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘱., 𝘓𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴 associated with higher resilience. In contrast, an uncultured 𝘍𝘢𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘻𝘪𝘪 taxon exhibited diminished resilience, potentially acting as a keystone species within the microbial community.
4. Functional Modules and Perturbation: Functional modules such as multidrug resistance efflux pumps and butyrate-producing pathways emerged as predictors of the degree of community perturbation upon antibiotic exposure.

Methodology:

• Data Collection: Four datasets, including healthy human cohorts and antibiotic intervention studies, were collected and reanalyzed. Taxonomic and functional abundance data were interpolated to estimate missing time points.
• Analysis: The Bray-Curtis distance was computed to quantify microbial perturbation induced by antibiotics. Polynomial regression and Random Forest (RF) models were employed to analyze microbial and functional profiles associated with resilience. Co-occurrence network analysis was conducted to characterize the relevance of specific taxa.

This study elucidates the complex dynamics of the gut microbiome in response to antibiotic exposure. The findings highlight the importance of pre-antibiotic microbial and functional profiles in determining resilience. SCFA-producing species and specific functional modules emerged as potential targets for interventions aimed at enhancing gut microbiome resilience. Further experimental studies are warranted to validate these findings and explore the efficacy of pre-antibiotic probiotic supplementation in promoting resilience.