Low-calcium diet in mice leads to reduced gut colonization by Enterococcus faecium

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether dietary intervention influenced luminal Ca²⁺ levels and Enterococcus faecium gut colonization in mice. For this purpose, mice fed semi-synthetic food AIN93 were compared to mice fed AIN93-low calcium (LC). Administration of AIN93-LC resulted in lower luminal Ca²⁺ levels independent of the presence of E. faecium. Furthermore, E. faecium gut colonization was reduced in mice fed AIN93-LC based on culture, and which was in concordance with a reduction of Enterococcaceae in microbiota analysis. In conclusion, diet intervention might be a strategy for controlling gut colonization of E. faecium, an important opportunistic nosocomial pathogen.

Keywords: Enterococcus faecium; gut colonization; low-calcium diet; mouse model.