To prevent intestinal disorders, probiotics can be rendered multidrug-resistant to survive in the presence of co-administered antibiotics, and they may also transmit the antibiotic-resistance gene to other lactobacillus species. On the other hand, this generates the possibility of resistance transfer from the probiotic to human bacterial pathogens, either directly or indirectly, via the commensal flora. So, is it good to have antibiotic-resistance properties for probiotics?
The antibiotic resistance properties in probiotics is a complex issue with both potential benefits and risks.
Potential Benefits:
1. Survival in Antibiotic-Rich Environments: Antibiotic-resistant probiotics can survive in environments with antibiotics, aiding in maintaining a healthy gut microbiota during and after antibiotic therapy.
2. Competitive Advantage: They may outcompete harmful bacteria, potentially enhancing gut colonization and pathogen suppression.
3. Resistance Transfer: Transfer of resistance genes to harmful bacteria could reduce overall antibiotic susceptibility, slowing the emergence of resistant strains.
Potential Risks:
A. Spread of Antibiotic Resistance: Probiotics could transfer resistance genes to pathogenic bacteria, contributing to antibiotic resistance spread.
B. Persistence of Antibiotic Resistance: The persistent presence of resistance genes in the environment could pose risks if transferred to pathogens.
C. Reduced Antibiotic Effectiveness: Transfer of resistance genes to pathogens may reduce antibiotic efficacy.
Antibiotic (antimicrobial) resistance is generally regarded as a negative safety trait in probiotics, starter and adjunct cultures, because of the non-negligible possibility of such traits being disseminated to the gut and environmental microbiota via horizontal gene transfer. Certain members of the gut and environmental microbiota (e.g., the enterococci) are particularly prone to participate in conjugation events, in which they take up and give genetic determinants of antimicrobial resistance, acting as a kind of "gene dealers".