An unexpected consequence of taking antibiotics has been named

Scientists from Uppsala University have discovered that taking antibiotics can alter the composition of the gut microbiome for years. The study showed that changes in the gut bacterial community can persist for four to eight years after a course of treatment. The results of the work were published in the journal Nature Medicine (NatMed).

The researchers analyzed data from 14,979 adult residents of Sweden, comparing their antibiotic use history with the results of their gut microbiome analysis. It turned out that even several years later, the composition of gut bacteria remained linked to which specific medications the person had previously taken.

Particularly pronounced and long-lasting changes were observed after the use of clindamycin, fluoroquinolone, and flucloxacillin. Moreover, even a single course of certain antibiotics could leave a long-term imprint on the microbiome composition.

At the same time, the widely used antibiotic penicillin V was found to be associated with only relatively minor and short-lived changes in the gut microflora.

The authors emphasize that antibiotics remain important and often vital medications. However, the data obtained show that the recovery of the gut microbiome may take significantly longer than previously thought. In the researchers' opinion, this factor should be taken into account when prescribing antibiotics and in further studies of their long-term impact on health.