Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40097931›Full record

ArticleBMC microbiology2025

Towards unraveling antimicrobial resistance dynamics: a longitudinal exploration of rectal swab metagenomes.

Sébastien Boutin, Nadja Käding, Meriem Belheouane, Matthias Merker, Jan Rupp, Dennis Nurjadi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC microbiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. [Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with multidrug-resistant bacterial infections combined with severe liver disease].Zhonghua gan zang bing za zhi = Zhonghua ganzangbing zazhi = Chinese journal of hepatology · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Sébastien Boutin *Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Lübeck and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Nadja Käding *German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Lübeck, Borstel, Germany.
Meriem BelheouaneEvolution of the Resistome, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany.
Matthias MerkerGerman Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Lübeck, Borstel, Germany.
Jan RuppInstitute of Medical Microbiology, University of Lübeck and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Dennis NurjadiInstitute of Medical Microbiology, University of Lübeck and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany. dennis.nurjadi@uni-luebeck.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses significant challenges in clinical settings. In particular, early screening and detection of colonization by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in patients at admission is crucial. In this context, the clinical use of metagenomics (mNGS) holds promise for fast and untargeted diagnostic methods. Here, we aimed to evaluate the long-term stability of the rectal microbiome and the diagnostic accuracy of mNGS in comparison to culture and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of MDROs. We analyzed rectal swabs from 26 patients with two consecutive admissions over a four-year period. The detected antimicrobial resistance genes and assembled metagenomes were compared to those obtained via classical culture-based antimicrobial susceptibility testing and WGS of isolated MDROs. Our results showed that the rectal microbiome is variable during the two timepoints, highlighting the variability in the niche. Nevertheless, we also observed strong co-occurrence of taxa, suggesting that the rectal swab microbiome is also a regulated environment with cooperative biotic interactions. In total, we isolated and sequenced 6 MDROs from 6 patients at individual timepoints. Almost all AMR genes from the genomes of the isolates (median: 100%, range: 84.6-100%) could be detected by mNGS of the rectal swabs at the time of isolation of the MDRO but not at the time of culture negativity. In addition, we detected AMR genes and potentially pathogenic species in patients with negative cultures. In conclusion, our study showed that, in principle, mNGS of rectal swabs can detect clinically relevant AMR profiles. However, the cooccurrence of AMR genes and potentially-pathogenic species does not always correlate with culture-based diagnostic results but rather indicates a potential risk of horizontal AMR gene transfer. However, it is unclear whether the observed discrepancies are due to transient or locally confined colonization of MDROs, limits of detection, or variability of the sampling method and specimens.

Indexed as

BacteriaDrug Resistance, Multiple, BacterialMetagenomeRectumAgedAnti-Bacterial AgentsFemaleGastrointestinal MicrobiomeHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMetagenomicsMicrobial Sensitivity TestsMiddle AgedWhole Genome SequencingAnti-Bacterial Agents

Identifiers

PMID40097931
PMCPMC11912604

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.