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Review
. 2020 Nov 24:10:572912.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.572912. eCollection 2020.

Antibiotics as Major Disruptors of Gut Microbiota

Jaime Ramirez  1   2 , Francisco Guarner  3 , Luis Bustos Fernandez  4 , Aldo Maruy  5 , Vera Lucia Sdepanian  6 , Henry Cohen  7
Affiliations
Review

Antibiotics as Major Disruptors of Gut Microbiota

Jaime Ramirez et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

Advances in culture-independent research techniques have led to an increased understanding of the gut microbiota and the role it plays in health and disease. The intestine is populated by a complex microbial community that is organized around a network of metabolic interdependencies. It is now understood that the gut microbiota is vital for normal development and functioning of the human body, especially for the priming and maturation of the adaptive immune system. Antibiotic use can have several negative effects on the gut microbiota, including reduced species diversity, altered metabolic activity, and the selection of antibiotic-resistant organisms, which in turn can lead to antibiotic-associated diarrhea and recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections. There is also evidence that early childhood exposure to antibiotics can lead to several gastrointestinal, immunologic, and neurocognitive conditions. The increase in the use of antibiotics in recent years suggests that these problems are likely to become more acute or more prevalent in the future. Continued research into the structure and function of the gut microbiota is required to address this challenge.

Keywords: antibiotic overuse; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD); enterotypes; gut microbiota; microbial diversity.

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Conflict of interest statement

FG is a member of the advisory boards at Biocodex and Instituto Danone; and has received research grants from AB Biotics, Takeda and Abbvie. AM is a speaker and member of the advisory board at Biocodex France. HC is an advisor for Biocodex and Megapharma. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Functions of human gut microbiota.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Four-day antibiotic treatment induced large shifts in bacterial abundances. Graphs show relative abundance of representative species according to their pattern of change after four-day antibiotic treatment over a 180-day follow-up period. Adapted from Palleja et al. (2018).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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