<p>Effect of the Short-Term Use of Fluoroquinolone and β-Lactam Antibiotics on Mouse Gut Microbiota</p>

Abstract

Background Antibiotics play an important role in the treatment of infectious diseases. However, the overuse of antibiotics increases the spread of drug-resistant bacteria and causes dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota. Few studies have addressed the longitudinal effects of antibiotics on the microbiome and host immunity. Materials and Methods In this study, the short-term effect of fluoroquinolone (levofloxacin) and β-lactam antibiotics (meropenem, cefoperazone/sulbactam, and aztreonam) on the gut microbiota of mice was evaluated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The susceptibility of Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus lactis, Enterococcus faecium , and Clostridium butyricum to these antimicrobial agents was assessed using the disc diffusion method. Results Our results showed that 4-day antibiotic exposure significantly reduced the alpha and beta diversity of gut bacteria and increased serum inflammatory cytokines, and these changes persisted long after antibiotic withdrawal and did not return to pre-treatment levels. Nonetheless, the bacterial community composition tended to return to pre-treatment levels after discontinuing treatment. The tested probiotic strains were resistant to aztreonam but were sensitive to meropenem and cefoperazone/sulbactam. Conclusion Short-term antibiotic treatment led to significant changes in the intestinal flora with a tendency to recover. The antibiotics had different effects on the intestinal microbial community and probiotic strains. This study provides guidance for the concomitant use of probiotics and antibiotics, and the results emphasize the importance of using broad-spectrum antibiotics responsibly to prevent the long-term disruption of the native microbiota.

Antibiotic Therapy and the Gut Microbiome: Investigating the Effect of Delivery Route on Gut Pathogens

“…While members of phylum Firmicutes increasingly dominated the gut microbiome, accounting for around 90% of all bacteria present, members of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Deferribacterota all decreased following levofloxacin treatment. These data correlate closely with a recent study which compared the differential effects of levofloxacin and a number of β-lactam antibiotics (Meropenem, cefoperazone/sulbactam, and aztreonam) on the gut microbiota, which found an increase in Firmicutes and a decrease in Bacteroidetes following levofloxacin treatment. Similarly, work by Ziegler and co-workers investigated the impact of levofloxacin on the gut microbiome in comparison to the β-lactams cefepime, piperacillin-tazobactam, and Meropenem.…”

Lactobacillus reuteri BM53-1 Produces a Compound That Inhibits Sticky Glucan Synthesis by Streptococcus mutans

“…However, the overuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens. Since antibiotics also kill some bacteria that promote host immune function and health, dysbiosis of the gut and oral microbiome occurs [ 44 ]. The present study revealed that a plant-derived lactic acid bacterial strain, designated BM53-1, produces a water-soluble polysaccharide that inhibits the production of sticky β-glucans by S. mutans .…”

Effectiveness of modified Buzhong Yiqi decoction in treating myasthenia gravis: study protocol for a series of N-of-1 trials

“…Moreover, patients are not allowed to take antibiotics, probiotics, or anti-acids, which can obviously affect gut microbiota during the trial. For patients who develop an infection that requires antibiotics during the trials, they will suspend the cycle until symptoms resolve and antibiotics have been discontinued for 2 months, which is the time for the recovery of gut microbiota after antibiotics shown by the animal study [ 30 ]. After then, they will restart that cycle from the beginning.…”