Effects of antibiotics on gut flora

Researchers have revealed that antibiotics produce changes in the microbial and metabolic patterns of the gut. The researchers have analyzed the bacteria, genes, enzymes and molecules that form the gut microbiota of patients treated with antibiotics.

The key finding is that antibiotics affect the gut flora. The biodiversity of the bacteria that form the gut microbiota, according to the results, decreases during treatment.

The open access research paper is:

A. E. Perez-Cobas, M. J. Gosalbes, A. Friedrichs, H. Knecht, A. Artacho, K. Eismann, W. Otto, D. Rojo, R. Bargiela, M. von Bergen, S. C. Neulinger, C. Daumer, F.-A. Heinsen, A. Latorre, C. Barbas, J. Seifert, V. M. dos Santos, S. J. Ott, M. Ferrer, A. Moya. Gut microbiota disturbance during antibiotic therapy: a multi-omic approach. Gut, 2012

Posted by Tim Sandle