Antibiotic Use Has More Unwanted Side Effects
What is Antibiotics?
Antibiotics are used to treat infections caused by bacteria.
Bacteria are microscopic organisms, some of which may cause illness. The word bacteria
are the plural of bacterium.
Such illnesses as syphilis, tuberculosis, salmonella, and
some forms of meningitis are caused by bacteria. Some bacteria are harmless,
while others are good for us.
It was recognized for
some time that one of the unwanted side effects of taking antibiotics is their
disruption of friendly microbes in the gut. But now a new study that takes a
closer look suggests the consequences of long-term antibiotic use could be even
far-more reaching than we thought.
Antibiotics destroy cells in the lining of the
gut. |
Writing in the journal Gut, Andrey Morgun, an assistant professor at the College of
Pharmacy in Oregon State University, Corville, and colleagues hope the study
will add to understanding of the widespread damage antibiotics
cause to the gut and will offer new ways to
investigate and offset the consequences.
Antibiotic use is widespread - around 40% of adults and 70% of
children take at least one a year, and billions of animals are treated with
them.
When used properly, antibiotics eliminate life-threatening
infections, but around 1 in 10 people treated with them suffer adverse side
effects.
Scientists are beginning to discover that antibiotic use - and overuse especially - is associated with a range of problems that affect, among other things, glucose metabolism, the immune system, food digestion and behavior. They also suspect it is linked to obesity and stress.
Scientists are beginning to discover that antibiotic use - and overuse especially - is associated with a range of problems that affect, among other things, glucose metabolism, the immune system, food digestion and behavior. They also suspect it is linked to obesity and stress.
Prof. Morgun says:
"Just in the past decade a whole new universe has opened up
about the far-reaching effects of antibiotic use, and now we're exploring it.
The study of microbiota is just exploding. Nothing we find would surprise me at
this point."
Antibiotics
kill intestinal epithelium cells.
For their study, the team used mice to look at the effects of
four antibiotics commonly given to lab animals.
Previously, it was thought the antibiotics only killed gut
bacteria and blocked some immune functions in the gut. But the new study shows
they also destroy cells in the intestinal epithelium.
The velvet-like appearance of the intestinal epithelium is due
to the millions of tiny projections called villi that maximize the surface area
of the epithelium.
The intestinal epithelium is home to an abundance of immune
cells that live alongside the trillions of gut bacteria with whom they are in
constant dialogue to maintain the delicate stability of the partnership between
the host body and its bacterial colonies.
Antibiotics
disrupt mitochondria and host-microbe signaling.
The team also discovered that antibiotics affect a gene that is
critical to the communication between host and gut bacteria. Prof. Morgun
notes:
"When the host microbe communication
system gets out of balance it can lead to a chain of seemingly unrelated
problems."
Disruption in
host-microbe dialog can not only disrupt digestion, cause diarrhea and ulcerative colitis, but new research is also linking it to
immune function, obesity, food absorption, depression, sepsis, asthma and allergies.
The team also found that the antibiotics and bacteria that have
developed resistance to them cause significant changes to mitochondria, leading
to more cell death.
Mitochondria are tiny compartments inside cells that act like
batteries - they convert food into energy for the cell. They also play an
important role in cell signaling and growth and need to function properly for
good health.
In evolutionary terms, mitochondria are descended from bacteria,
which may explain why antibiotics attack cell components that most closely
resemble them.
Studies like this support the idea that killing bad bacteria
with antibiotics is perhaps not a good way to deal with infection - given the
increasing list of side-effects and problems they cause. Prof. Morgun suggests
boosting the healthy bacteria so they out-compete the unwanted ones might be a
better approach.
The Medical Research Foundation of Oregon and the National
Institutes of Health helped fund the study.
In January 2015, Medical News
Today reported a study that
suggested travelers taking
antibiotics could be helping to spread antibiotic resistance. The researchers found travelers who take
antibiotics for diarrhea are not only increasing their chances of contracting
resistant intestinal bacteria, they could also be spreading them to their own
countries.
Most side-effects of antibiotics are not serious - for
example, diarrhoea, or mild stomach upset such as feeling sick (nausea).
Although some people develop a serious allergy to some antibiotics, this is
rare.
Antibiotics are a cluster of
medicines that are used to treat infections caused by germs (bacteria and
certain parasites). A parasite is a type of germ that needs to live on or in
another living being (host). Antibiotics are sometimes called antibacterial or
antimicrobials. Antibiotics can be taken by mouth as liquids, tablets, or capsules
or they can be given by injection. Usually, people who need to have an
antibiotic by injection are in hospital because they have a severe infection.
Antibiotics are also available as creams, ointments, or lotions to apply to the
skin to treat certain skin infections.
There are various antibiotics
available and they come in various different brand names. Antibiotics are
usually grouped together based on how they work. Each type of antibiotic only
works against certain types of bacteria or parasites. This is why different
antibiotics are used to treat different types of infection.
It is important to remember that
antibiotics only work against infections that are caused by bacteria and
certain parasites. They do not work against infections that are caused by
viruses (for example, the common cold or flu), or fungi (for example, thrush in
the mouth or vagina), or fungal infections of the skin.
Occasionally, a viral infection
or minor bacterial infection develops into a more serious secondary bacterial
infection.
There are various antibiotics
available and they come in various different brand names. Antibiotics are
usually grouped together based on how they work. Each type of antibiotic only
works against certain types of bacteria or parasites. This is why different
antibiotics are used to treat different types of infection. Some of the more common
side effects may include:
- Soft stools or diarrhea
- Mild stomach upset
- Vomiting
- Severe watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps.
- Allergic reaction (shortness of breath, hives, swelling of lips, face, or tongue, fainting)
- Rash
- Vaginal itching or discharge
- White patches on the tongue
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