Occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in the environment and in foods is well established. But how do ARB ingested with food behave in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT)? Basic questions are (1) which ARB survive the passage to reach the lower GIT, and (2) do resistances transfer to the gut microbiome? Also, the relevance of extracellular antibiotic-resistance genes (ARG) in this context is still under-researched.

To investigate bacterial survival depending on type of ARB, initial ARB concentrations in the food, and food matrix the in vitro simulation of gastrointestinal food digestion INFOGEST is used. Bacteria collected after passage through INFOGEST can be studied for survival, presence of ARG, and ARG transfer potential. Various foods including fresh produce will be investigated. To explore the possible transfer of resistances to the gut microbiome, third-party funded collaborations will be sought to make use of extended in vitro digestive models which include a simulated human gut microbial community, such as SHIME or TIM.