Antibiotics and the gut microbiota
- PMID: 25271726
- PMCID: PMC4191029
- DOI: 10.1172/JCI72333
Antibiotics and the gut microbiota
Abstract
Antibiotics have been a cornerstone of innovation in the fields of public health, agriculture, and medicine. However, recent studies have shed new light on the collateral damage they impart on the indigenous host-associated communities. These drugs have been found to alter the taxonomic, genomic, and functional capacity of the human gut microbiota, with effects that are rapid and sometimes persistent. Broad-spectrum antibiotics reduce bacterial diversity while expanding and collapsing membership of specific indigenous taxa. Furthermore, antibiotic treatment selects for resistant bacteria, increases opportunities for horizontal gene transfer, and enables intrusion of pathogenic organisms through depletion of occupied natural niches, with profound implications for the emergence of resistance. Because these pervasive alterations can be viewed as an uncoupling of mutualistic host-microbe relationships, it is valuable to reconsider antimicrobial therapies in the context of an ecological framework. Understanding the biology of competitive exclusion, interspecies protection, and gene flow of adaptive functions in the gut environment may inform the design of new strategies that treat infections while preserving the ecology of our beneficial constituents.
Figures
![Figure 2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/4191029/bin/JCI72333.f2.gif)
![Figure 1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/4191029/bin/JCI72333.f1.gif)
Similar articles
-
Antibiotic treatments and microbes in the gut.Environ Microbiol. 2014 Apr;16(4):919-24. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.12399. Epub 2014 Jan 29. Environ Microbiol. 2014. PMID: 24471523
-
Gut microbiota disturbance during antibiotic therapy: a multi-omic approach.Gut. 2013 Nov;62(11):1591-601. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2012-303184. Epub 2012 Dec 12. Gut. 2013. PMID: 23236009 Free PMC article.
-
Collateral effects of antibiotics on mammalian gut microbiomes.Gut Microbes. 2012 Sep-Oct;3(5):463-7. doi: 10.4161/gmic.21288. Epub 2012 Jul 24. Gut Microbes. 2012. PMID: 22825498 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Effects of Antibiotic Treatment on Gut Microbiota and How to Overcome Its Negative Impacts on Human Health.ACS Infect Dis. 2020 Oct 9;6(10):2544-2559. doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00036. Epub 2020 Sep 2. ACS Infect Dis. 2020. PMID: 32786282 Review.
-
Bacterial interspecies quorum sensing in the mammalian gut microbiota.C R Biol. 2018 May-Jun;341(5):297-299. doi: 10.1016/j.crvi.2018.03.006. Epub 2018 Apr 7. C R Biol. 2018. PMID: 29631889 Review.
Cited by
-
Unraveling the Role of the Blood-Brain Barrier in the Pathophysiology of Depression: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives.Mol Neurobiol. 2024 May 10. doi: 10.1007/s12035-024-04205-5. Online ahead of print. Mol Neurobiol. 2024. PMID: 38730081 Review.
-
Update on the reciprocal interference between immunosuppressive therapy and gut microbiota after kidney transplantation.World J Transplant. 2024 Mar 18;14(1):90194. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v14.i1.90194. World J Transplant. 2024. PMID: 38576749 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Microbiome Dynamics: A Paradigm Shift in Combatting Infectious Diseases.J Pers Med. 2024 Feb 18;14(2):217. doi: 10.3390/jpm14020217. J Pers Med. 2024. PMID: 38392650 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Impact of systemic antimicrobial therapy on the faecal microbiome in symptomatic dairy cows.PLoS One. 2024 Jan 5;19(1):e0296290. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296290. eCollection 2024. PLoS One. 2024. PMID: 38180967 Free PMC article.
-
Correlation between human gut microbiome and diseases.Infect Med (Beijing). 2022 Aug 24;1(3):180-191. doi: 10.1016/j.imj.2022.08.004. eCollection 2022 Sep. Infect Med (Beijing). 2022. PMID: 38077626 Free PMC article. Review.
References
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical