Long-term stay at the intensive care unit results in depleted gastrointestinal microbiota.
Broad screening for bacterial (16S rRNA) and fungal (ITS) development in different compartments of the gastrointestinal in long-term patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), revealed severe changes of the microbiota two weeks after admission. Beside a dramatic loss of richness in the pharyngeal and fecal microbiota, determined by significant reduction of e.g. Fusobacterium spp., Streptococcus spp., Campylobacter spp. and Porphyromonas spp. in the pharynx and a reduction of e.g. Faeclibacterium spp. Ruminococcus spp., Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus spp. in feces, patients show a severe bloom of Enterococcus spp. in gastric juice and feces as well as Staphylococcus spp. in feces. Additionally, this study shows colonization of Candida spp. in most of the patients at ICU which has synergistic effects on co-infections of Staphylococcus aureus and Pediococcus pentosaceus, while absence of Candida spp. or any fungal infections supports colonization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the gastrointestinal tract of ICU patients.