Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is a common side effect of antibiotic treatment, caused by the disruption of the gut microbiota. This paper introduces a novel approach to protect probiotic bacteria from the harmful effects of antibiotics using a single-cell nanocoating of tannic acids and ferric ions. This 'nanoarmor' effectively shields both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria from six clinically relevant antibiotics, enabling them to colonize the gastrointestinal tract even in the presence of antibiotics. In levofloxacin-treated rats, armored probiotics significantly reduced AAD and improved pre-inflammatory symptoms. This strategy offers a promising platform to enhance the efficacy of therapeutic bacteria during antibiotic treatment.

Jiezhou Pan, Guidong Gong, Qin Wang, Jiaojiao Shang, Yunxiang He, Chelsea Catania, Dan Birnbaum, Yifei Li, Zhijun Jia, Yaoyao Zhang, Neel S. Joshi, Junling Guo