Antibiotics are a common and often essential part of modern medicine. However, their indiscriminate use can have unintended consequences on the delicate balance of microbes that inhabit our bodies, known as the microbiome.
One such consequence is the disturbance of the mycobiome, the fungal component of the microbiome. While the effects of antibiotics on the bacterial microbiome have been studied in great detail, much less is known about how these drugs affect fungi.
A new study published in the journal mSystems provides some insights into this question. The researchers analyzed the mycobiomes of over 3,000 people from four different continents and found that the composition of fungal communities varied widely from person to person.
What’s more, the presence or absence of certain fungi was linked to the use of antibiotics. For instance, the use of antibiotics was associated with lower levels of healthy fungi, such as those belonging to the genus Saccharomyces.
Conversely, the use of antibiotics was linked to higher levels of potentially harmful fungi, such as Candida. This is in line with previous studies showing that antibiotics can disrupt the delicate balance of the microbiome, leading to the overgrowth of harmful microbes.
The effects of antibiotics on the mycobiome vary from person to person, depending on the composition of their fungal communities before treatment. This highlights the importance of personalized medicine, which takes into account an individual’s unique microbial makeup.
While more research is needed to understand the long-term effects of antibiotics on the mycobiome, this study provides a starting point for further investigation. In the meantime, these findings underscore the importance of using antibiotics only when absolutely necessary, in order to minimize the risk of disrupting the delicate balance of microbes that keep us healthy.
Infectious diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide, and antibiotics are the cornerstone of treatment for these conditions. However, antibiotics can also have a significant impact on the mycobiome, the collection of fungi that live in and on the human body.
A new study has found that the effect of antibiotics on the mycobiome varies from person to person. The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, looked at the mycobiomes of two groups of people: those who were taking antibiotics and those who were not.
The researchers found that antibiotic use was associated with a decrease in the diversity of the mycobiome. In addition, the mycobiomes of those taking antibiotics were more similar to each other than the mycobiomes of those who were not taking antibiotics.
The findings suggest that antibiotics can have a significant impact on the mycobiome, and that this impact may vary from person to person. This information is important for understanding the potential side effects of antibiotic use and for developing strategies to minimize those effects.
