Researchers from the University of Groningen, University of Montpellier, and University of Oldenburg conducted lab experiments and found that increasing the temperature from 37 to 40 degrees Celsius led to higher resistance rates for two antimicrobials, but lowered the resistance rate for a third antimicrobial. If these findings hold true in human patients, controlling fever could potentially help in fighting antibiotic resistance.Antimicrobial resistance is a global issue that affects pathogens worldwide and is recognized by the World Health Organization as a major public health and development concern. A recent study found that a slight rise in temperature from 37 to 40 degrees Celsius significantly increased the mutation rate in E. coli bacteria, potentially contributing to the development of resistance. If these findings can be confirmed in human patients, controlling fever could offer a new approach to combating the emergence of antibiotic resistance. The study was published in the journal JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance.
Antibiotic resistance is a major threat that can be fought by developing new drugs or preventing resistance development. According to Timo van Eldijk, the mutation rate in bacteria is affected by temperature. The study aimed to understand how the increase in temperature during fever influences the mutation rate towards antibiotic resistance.
The researchers focused on three antibiotics and found that most studies on resistance mutations lowered the ambient temperature. However, none had used a moderate increase above normal body temperature. This led to their investigation on the effects of elevated temperature on mutation rates.
Eleanor Sheridan, a student at Van Eldijk, conducted an experiment with E. coli bacteria at 37 or 40 degrees Celsius. The bacteria were then exposed to three different antibiotics to see how they would react. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of temperature on antibiotic resistance. The team used three different antibiotics – ciprofloxacin, rifampicin, and ampicillin. The results showed that for two of the drugs, ciprofloxacin and rifampicin, higher temperatures led to an increase in the mutation rate towards resistance. This study provided valuable insights into the relationship between temperature and antibiotic resistance in bacteria.The drug ampicillin was found to decrease the mutation rate towards resistance at fever temperatures. Van Eldijk stated, “To be certain of this result, we actually replicated the study with ampicillin in two different labs, at the University of Groningen and the University of Montpellier, and got the same result.” The researchers also found that a temperature dependence of the efficacy of ampicillin could explain this result, and confirmed this in an experiment. This explains why ampicillin resistance is less likely to arise at 40 degrees Celsius. “Our study shows that a very mild change in fever-suppressing drugs can have a significant impact.”Van Eldijk concludes that temperature has a significant impact on the mutation rate for antimicrobial resistance. This is particularly noteworthy because other factors, such as growth rate, do not appear to have the same effect. If these findings are confirmed in humans, it could lead to potential strategies for addressing antimicrobial resistance. For example, lowering the temperature with fever-suppressing drugs or using more effective antimicrobial drugs at higher temperatures. The team suggests that an optimized combination of antibiotics and fever suppression methods could be a valuable tool in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
