Antibiotic use is widespread in low- and middle-income countries. Many children in these nations receive more than 20 antibiotic treatments by the age of two. To assess the possible influence of high antibiotic use on the gut microbiome, researchers analyzed stool samples collected from children living in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Researchers found children who’d experienced more severe infections also displayed reduced biodiversity in the gut microbiome.
The researchers then turned to mouse models to determine how reduced biodiversity in the gut microbiome may worsen a common parasitic infection known as amebic colitis. The team found antibiotics disrupted the mice’s gut microbiomes and decreased the activity of neutrophils — an important white blood cell — barring these cells from responding to infections, leaving the gut vulnerable and insufficiently protected.
“I think the take-home is that this is another important reason not to use antibiotics unless they are clearly needed,” said Bill Petri, MD, PhD, the chief of University of Virginia’s division of infectious diseases in Charlottesville. “Unwise use of antibiotics not only increases the risk of multi-drug resistant bacteria and the risk of C[lostridium] difficile infection, but also impairs white blood cell function.”
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