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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Dairy and Functional Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #405271
Research Project: In vitro Human Gut System: Interactions Between Diet, Food Processing, and Microbiota

Location: Dairy and Functional Foods Research

Title: Dietary carbohydrates regulate intestinal colonization and dissemination of Klebsiella pneumoniae

Author
item HETCH, AARON - University Of Pennsylvania
item HARLING, LISA - University Of Pennsylvania
item FRIEDMAN, ELLIOT - University Of Pennsylvania
item TANES, CEYLAN - The Children'S Hospital Of Philadelphia
item LEE, JUNHEE - University Of Pennsylvania
item Firrman, Jenni
item HAO, FUHUA - Pennsylvania State University
item TU, VINCENT - The Children'S Hospital Of Philadelphia
item Liu, Linshu
item PATTERSON, ANDREW - Pennsylvania State University
item BITTINGER, KYLE - The Children'S Hospital Of Philadelphia
item GOULIAN, MARK - University Of Pennsylvania
item WU, GARY - University Of Pennsylvania

Submitted to: Journal of Clinical Investigation
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/12/2024
Publication Date: 3/21/2024
Citation: Hetch, A., Harling, L., Friedman, E., Tanes, C., Lee, J., Firrman, J., Hao, F., Tu, V., Liu, L.S., Patterson, A.D., Bittinger, K., Goulian, M., Wu, G. 2024. Dietary carbohydrates regulate intestinal colonization and dissemination of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 134(9):e174726. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI174726.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI174726

Interpretive Summary: The gut microbiota contains a dense community of bacteria that reside within the human colon, and some changes to this community have been associated with the development of disease, in particular, the bacteria Klebsiella pneumonia (K. pneumonia) is known to be a human pathogen in the colon. Here, we looked at how dietary components containing carbohydrates or nitrogen may affect growth of K. pneumonia. We found that simple carbohydrates were important to growth and survival of this pathogen, and that a diet containing fiber helped reduce the ability for K. pneumonia to colonize the colon. In conclusion, these results show how different dietary components may promote or hinder growth and colonization of the human pathogen K. pneumonia, which indicates how diet may be used to alleviate or prevent the formation of colon disease.

Technical Abstract: Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is increasingly appreciated as both a consequence and precipitant of human disease. The outgrowth of the bacterial family Enterobacteriaceae is a common feature of dysbiosis, including the human pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae. Dietary interventions have proven efficacious in the resolution of dysbiosis, though the specific dietary components involved remain poorly defined. Based on a previous human diet study, we hypothesized that dietary nutrients serve as a key resource for the growth of bacteria found in dysbiosis. Through human sample testing, and ex-vivo, and in vivo modeling, contrary to previous studies, we find that nitrogen is not a limiting resource for the growth of Enterobacteriaceae in the gut and instead identify dietary simple carbohydrates as important in colonization of K. pneumoniae. We additionally find that dietary fiber is a critical factor in colonization resistance against K. pneumoniae, protecting the host against dissemination from the gut microbiota during colitis. Targeted dietary therapies based on these findings may offer a therapeutic strategy in susceptible patients with dysbiosis.