Probiotics Antibiotic Resistance Test

Determination of antibiotic resistance in strains is an important element in the in vitro safety assessment of existing and potential probiotic strains. Creative Enzymes provides comprehensive and professional antibiotic resistance gene testing services to provide scientific support for our clients' probiotic safety assessment and accelerate their product development process.

Background of Antibiotic Resistance Testing for Probiotics

Probiotics have gained increasing popularity worldwide and are widely used in food and medicine. However, most people focus more on the function of probiotics and ignore their potential risks, such as infection and transfer of antibiotic resistance to pathogenic microorganisms.

In fact, the presence of an antibiotic resistance gene in the probiotic genome does not in itself pose a safety issue, as long as it has no potential for transfer to other strains. However, probiotics that theoretically contain antibiotic resistance genes could be a source of antibiotic resistance genes for potentially pathogenic bacteria. For example, tetracycline resistance genes are commonly detected in typical probiotic genera and constitute a resistance reservoir for potential food or enteric pathogens. Thus, antibiotic resistance in probiotics represents a serious safety concern. When clients develop probiotic products using microorganisms, it is essential to test the probiotics for antibiotic resistance genes to ensure their safety.

Fig. 1 Probiotics and transfer of antibiotic resistance. (MOHAMMED, 2019)

The Probiotics Antibiotic Resistance Testing Methods at Creative Enzymes

The probiotic antibiotic resistance gene detection methods provided by Creative Enzymes are mainly divided into traditional microbial culture and molecular biology methods, combining phenotypic data with resistance gene testing to provide our clients with comprehensive antibiotic resistance detection and analysis results.

Traditional microbial culture methods are mainly used to assess the susceptibility of microorganisms to antibiotics by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The antibiotic susceptibility tests we offered mainly including but not limited to the following.

• Agar disc diffusion
• Broth/media dilution assays
• Antimicrobial gradient method (E-test)

Fig. 2 Antibiotic susceptibility test of probiotics.

Creative enzymes use various molecular biology methods or whole genome sequencing of antibiotic-resistant probiotic bacteria based on the resistance of the isolated microbial probiotic, thus obtaining full information on the antibiotic resistance gene of the strain and the resistance mechanism. The main molecular biology-based assays we offer include the following.

• PCR-based detection test
• DNA microarray-based detection test
• Macro-genomics test

Probiotic Resistance Gene Testing Process at Creative Enzymes

In the probiotic antibiotic resistance testing service offered by Creative Enzymes, we combine the results of drug sensitivity tests with the expression levels of genes associated with antibiotic resistance to assess the safety of the strain. We compared the whole genome sequence of each strain with the online database of drug resistance genes, screened the drug resistance genes of each strain, and determined the position of the resistance genes in the whole genome. For strains screened for drug resistance genes, drug sensitivity tests were performed for phenotypic resistance testing, followed by validation of the resistance genes by PCR.

With advanced technology and extensive experience, Creative Enzymes can provide antibiotic resistance testing and analysis services for any probiotic product. As a professional service provider, we offer a one-stop testing service that covers the entire process of sample handling, test method selection, protocol execution and result analysis. We are committed to providing our clients with comprehensive testing and analysis solutions that help them save time and obtain informative results.

Creative Enzymes is a professional and experienced probiotic supplier and service provider. Creative Enzymes is committed to applying our knowledge and experience in probiotic in vitro safety assessment to provide our clients with scientifically reliable results for antibiotic resistance analysis of probiotics. To get more information, please contact us and we will be happy to serve your research demands.

Reference

1. MOHAMMED, S.; et al. Efficacy and Safety Considerations of Pre-probiotics. 2ND INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON ENGINEERING AND LIFE SCIENCE. Kastamonu/TURKEY. 2019.