In a battle against an infection, antibiotics can bring victory over enemy germs. Yet that war-winning aid can come with significant collateral damage; microbial allies and innocents are killed off, too. Such casualties may be unavoidable in some cases, but a lot of people take antibiotics when they're not necessary or appropriate. And the toll of antibiotics on a healthy microbiome can, in some places, be serious, a new study suggests.
In two randomized, placebo-controlled trials of healthy people, a single course of oral antibiotics altered the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome for months, and in some cases up to a year. Such shifts could clear the way for pathogens, including the deadly Clostridium difficile. Those community changes can also alter microbiome activities, including interacting with the immune system and helping with digestion. Overall, the data, published Tuesday in the journal mBio, suggests that antibiotics may have more side effects than previously thought—at least in the gut.
In the mouth, on the other hand, researchers found that microbial communities fared much better, rebounding in weeks after antibiotic treatments. The finding raises the question of why the oral microbiome is less disturbed by drugs. It could simply be because of the way that antibiotics, taken orally, circulate through the body. Or, it could imply that oral microbiomes are innately more resilient, a quality that would be useful to replicate in microbial communities all over the body.
(Score: 2) by el_oscuro on Saturday November 14 2015, @12:30AM
Why not just eat yoghurt? It has the same probiotics as the pills and cost less, plus is actual food.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 14 2015, @12:55AM
Lactobacillus will not survive your stomach.
You could try to take antacids first and see if that helps.
(Score: 2) by ese002 on Tuesday November 17 2015, @02:32AM
The obvious case being those who are lactose intolerant
It is reasonably common among those with chronic digestive issues to be unable to tolerate yoghurt even without being lactose intolerant. I am one. Yoghurt seems like it would be a good idea but it makes me very quickly gassy and the negative effect persist for hours, even days.