Millions of antibiotics are prescribed every year. While they can be very effective at treating infections, antibiotics usually don’t just target the bacteria causing the infection. They also kill harmless bacteria that live in our gut and help us stay healthy. There is evidence that these disturbances in the composition of the gut microbiome can persist for up to two years after treatment with antibiotics. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and bloating are also common side effects of taking antibiotics.
Dr. Elisa Marroquin, assistant professor at Texas Christian University, USA, and co-author of the study, explains:
“Just like in human society, we need people with different jobs because we don’t all know how to do every job. And the same thing happens with bacteria. We need lots of different gut bacteria that can do different things.”
“Although we haven’t found a single definition of what a healthy gut microbiome is, one of the consistent things we’ve noticed in healthy people is that they have higher levels of diversity and a greater diversity of bacteria in their gut.”
Previous studies have shown that taking probiotics can reduce the side effects of antibiotics on the digestive system, but there is debate whether taking probiotics alongside antibiotics can also maintain the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota. Some healthcare professionals are reluctant to recommend probiotics alongside antibiotics for fear they will further upset the microbial balance in a patient’s gut.
New article published in Journal of Medical Microbiology This reveals the first systematic review to evaluate the effects of co-administration of probiotics with antibiotics on the diversity and composition of the human gut microbiome. Written by researchers at the Monterrey Technological College of Medical and Health Sciences, the University of Texas and Texas Christian University, the review assessed trends in 29 studies published over the past seven years.
The authors found that taking probiotics alongside antibiotics prevented or reduced some of the changes that antibiotics make to the composition of the gut microbiome. Probiotics can also help protect species diversity and even restore populations of some friendly bacteria such as feces;which reduces inflammation and promotes a healthy intestinal barrier.
When the participants took antibiotics, we saw many consistent changes in different species of bacteria. But when the treatment was combined with probiotics, most of these changes were less noticeable and some changes were completely preventable.
Given the human data available to date, there appears to be no reason to stop prescribing probiotics while antibiotics are being prescribed.”
Elisa Marroquin, assistant professor, Texas Christian University
source:
Magazine reference:
Fernández Alonso, M. et al. (2022) Effect of adding probiotics to antibiotic interventions on the diversity and composition of human gut microbes: a systematic review. Journal of Medical Microbiology. doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.001625.
