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Profiles of Tetracycline Resistant Bacteria in the Human Infant Digestive System

Kinkelaar, Daniel Francis
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1213330709

Abstract Details

2008, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Food Science and Nutrition.
The rapid emergence of antibiotic resistant (ART) pathogens poses a serious threat to public health. A large antibiotic resistance (AR) gene pool has recently been found in commensal bacteria associated with many retail foods. Subsequently, the question is whether these foodborne ART bacteria through daily food consumption are responsible for the prevalence of ART bacteria in human digestive ecosystems. To address this issue, the ART bacteria profiles in fecal samples of infant subjects before solid food consumption were analyzed by total plate counting of ART bacteria and real-time PCR assessment of the tetM gene pool. Tetracycline-resistant (Tetr) bacteria were found in fecal samples from both breast and formula-fed babies shortly after birth without being exposed to the corresponding antibiotic. The numbers of ART bacteria within these subjects increased rapidly within four weeks before reaching a relatively stable level. The numbers of ART bacteria ranged from 5.5x105 to 1.9x108 CFU/g of sample and was maintained throughout the 12 month examination period. Similar shift of the tetM gene pool in the infant fecal samples was observed by real-time PCR. The tetM gene pool in all infant fecal samples, with the exception of the meconium samples, ranged at least from 9.0x105 to 9.0x108 copies per gram of sample. The data suggest that routes other than conventional food intake may have played a role in the initial colonization of ART bacteria in infants. The impact of the ART bacteria from conventional food intake on the dynamic shift of the ART bacteria in human digestive tract at later stages through occasional colonization and maybe horizontal gene transmission is yet to be revealed.
Hua Wang, Dr. (Advisor)
Jeff Culbertson, Dr. (Committee Member)
Brian McSpadden-Gardener, Dr. (Committee Member)
80 p.
Food Science
Antibiotic resistance; human gut microflora; tetracycline

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kinkelaar, D. F. (2008). Profiles of Tetracycline Resistant Bacteria in the Human Infant Digestive System [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1213330709

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kinkelaar, Daniel. Profiles of Tetracycline Resistant Bacteria in the Human Infant Digestive System. 2008. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1213330709.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kinkelaar, Daniel. "Profiles of Tetracycline Resistant Bacteria in the Human Infant Digestive System." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1213330709

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1213330709
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© 2008, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.