Dual-species interactions with intestinal bacteria drive multi-drug resistance in
- 1Robert Koch-Institute, Division of Enteropathogenic Bacteria and Legionella (FG11) and National Reference Centre for Salmonella and other Bacterial Enteric Pathogens, Burgstrasse 37, 38855 Wernigerode, Germany
- 2Robert Koch-Institute, Advanced Light and Electron Microscopy (ZBS4), Seestrasse 10, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Abstract
Objectives: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Campylobacter infections are an increasing clinical concern, as rising fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance leaves macrolides as the primary treatment option. We investigated multidrug resistance in clinical Campylobacter samples from Germany. Methods: We analyzed 6980 clinical isolates (2010–2022), performing phenotypic susceptibility testing and sequencing on 2912 genomes. Cultures showing multidrug resistance were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results: We found that 453 (6%) Campylobacter samples were resistant to both FQ and macrolides. Two of the C. jejuni samples were resistant to antibiotics from ten different classes. Genome analysis revealed that these samples, despite being derived from single colonies, contained >10% Enterococcus DNA reads. SEM confirmed the presence of coccoid bacteria interspersed with spiral-shaped Campylobacter . Additional culture-based purification resulted in pure C. jejuni isolates that retained FQR but lost macrolide resistance. The presence of MDR Enterococcus spp. in the mixed samples protected C. jejuni from above-MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) concentrations of several ribosome-targeting antimicrobials whereas pure Campylobacter were susceptible. Conclusions: The impact of microbial interactions on resistance phenotypes is poorly understood. We show that close interactions with highly resistant intestinal bacteria can induce multidrug resistance phenotypes in Campylobacter . These findings highlight that microbial context shapes antibiotic resistance and may influence treatment outcomes.
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BibTeX
@article{banerji2026dualspecies,
title = {{Dual-species interactions with intestinal bacteria drive multi-drug resistance in}},
author = {Sangeeta Banerji and Gudrun Holland and Michael Laue and Antje Flieger},
journal = {Journal of Infection},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.jinf.2026.106852},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2026.106852},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dual-species interactions with intestinal bacteria drive multi-drug resistance in
AU - Sangeeta Banerji
AU - Gudrun Holland
AU - Michael Laue
AU - Antje Flieger
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Journal of Infection
DO - 10.1016/j.jinf.2026.106852
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2026.106852
AB - Objectives: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Campylobacter infections are an increasing clinical concern, as rising fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance leaves macrolides as the primary treatment option. We investigated multidrug resistance in clinical Campylobacter samples from Germany. Methods: We analyzed 6980 clinical isolates (2010–2022), performing phenotypic susceptibility testing and sequencing on 2912 genomes. Cultures showing multidrug resistance were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results: We found that 453 (6%) Campylobacter samples were resistant to both FQ and macrolides. Two of the C. jejuni samples were resistant to antibiotics from ten different classes. Genome analysis revealed that these samples, despite being derived from single colonies, contained >10% Enterococcus DNA reads. SEM confirmed the presence of coccoid bacteria interspersed with spiral-shaped Campylobacter . Additional culture-based purification resulted in pure C. jejuni isolates that retained FQR but lost macrolide resistance. The presence of MDR Enterococcus spp. in the mixed samples protected C. jejuni from above-MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) concentrations of several ribosome-targeting antimicrobials whereas pure Campylobacter were susceptible. Conclusions: The impact of microbial interactions on resistance phenotypes is poorly understood. We show that close interactions with highly resistant intestinal bacteria can induce multidrug resistance phenotypes in Campylobacter . These findings highlight that microbial context shapes antibiotic resistance and may influence treatment outcomes.
SN - 1532-2742
ER -