It is known that antibiotic treatment disrupts the normal gut flora, which can lead to diarrhea. The reason is that antibiotics, in addition to eliminating disease-causing bacteria, also affect the bacteria that make the gut function.
But even multiple antibiotic courses can lead to more long-term changes. Now, researchers at Umeå University, among others, have investigated what happens to the gut's function after repeated antibiotic courses.
Changes persisted
The researchers analyzed selected stool samples from four patients who had undergone five or more antibiotic treatments. The samples were taken at least six months after the last treatment. Their gut flora was then compared to that of people who had not used antibiotics in the last ten years.
The results, published in the journal Gut Microbes, confirm previous research that antibiotic use affects gut bacteria for several months.
To test the function of the gut flora itself, they transplanted gut flora from the selected patients to mice and made analyses of the mucus layer.
Mucus membranes were damaged
They discovered that the function was disrupted in mice with bacteria from people who had received repeated antibiotic treatments. The growth of mucus decreased and the mucus layer became permeable. This made it possible for bacteria to move closer to the intestinal mucosa, which can increase the risk of infection and inflammation.
It indicates that antibiotics not only affect the composition of the gut flora but also the gut's function, says Björn Schröder, associate professor of infection biology at Umeå University and one of the researchers behind the study.
But is there anything you can do to protect the gut if you need to take antibiotics? According to Björn Schröder, it is difficult, since the gut flora differs from person to person and how one is affected is individual.
But eating a varied diet and food with many different dietary fibers is good. If you have a rich gut flora, the antibiotic can knock out some of the bacteria without having the same consequences as when you have a less rich gut flora.
