Single course of antibiotic can imbalance gut for a year

A study published in mBio says that a single course of antibiotic can imbalance the microorganisms in the gut for up to a year, most probably leading to antibiotic resistance.

Unnecessary use of antibiotics have led to resistance and in the US alone antibiotic-resistant bacteria cause at least 2 million cases of disease and 23,000 fatalities annually.

And now studies indicate that a single course of antibiotic can disrupt the microorganisms in the gut. Clindamycin altered the gut microorganisms flora for up to 4 months while it was 12 months for ciprofloxacin. In contrast, the microorganisms in the oral cavity was only altered for up to a week after drug exposure.

Amoxicillin had no significant effect either on the gut or oral cavity, but it was associated with the greatest number of antibiotic-resistant genes.

Sweden has seen a significant decline in antibiotic use over the last 2 decades.

Avoid unnecessary intake of antibiotics; it may be detrimental to you, and more so, will not work when most required due to development of antibiotic resistance.