Comprehensive Diagnosis of Bacterial Infection Associated with Acute Cholecystitis Using Metagenomic Approach

Acute cholecystitis (AC), which is strongly associated with retrograde bacterial infection, is an inflammatory disease that can be fatal if inappropriately treated. Currently, bacterial culture testing, which is basically recommended to detect the etiological agent, is a time-consuming (4–6 days), non-comprehensive approach. To rapidly detect a potential pathogen and predict its antimicrobial susceptibility, we undertook a metagenomic approach to characterize the bacterial infection associated with AC. Six patients (P1–P6) who underwent cholecystectomy for AC were enrolled in this study. Metagenome analysis demonstrated possible single or multiple bacterial infections in four patients (P1, P2, P3, and P4) with 24-h experimental procedures; in addition, the CTX-M extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) gene was identified in two bile samples (P1 and P4). Further whole genome sequencing of Escherichia coli isolates suggested that CTX-M-27-producing ST131 and CTX-M-14-producing novel-ST were identified in P1 and P4, respectively. Metagenome analysis of feces and saliva also suggested some imbalance in the microbiota for more comprehensive assessment of patients with AC. In conclusion, metagenome analysis was useful for rapid bacterial diagnostics, including assessing potential antimicrobial susceptibility, in patients with AC.