Gut Bacterial Microbiota and its Resistome Rapidly Recover to Basal State Levels after Short-term Amoxicillin-Clavulanic Acid Treatment in Healthy Adults.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial in humans
PubMed 30046129 · doi:10.1038/s41598-018-29229-5
What was done
Fecal samples were collected at four time points from 70 healthy adults receiving a one-week course of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, assigned to receive either a probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 and Lactobacillus helveticus R0052) or placebo. Gut bacterial microbiota composition and antibiotic resistance gene profiles were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, shotgun metagenomics sequencing, and an antibiotic resistance microarray.
What was found
Antibiotic administration caused significant family-level shifts in both probiotic and placebo groups, reducing Lachnospiraceae, Coriobacteriaceae, and unidentified Clostridiales, while increasing Enterobacteriaceae, Bacteroidaceae, and Porphyromonadaceae relative to baseline. Resistome analysis showed enrichment of aminoglycoside and beta-lactam resistance genes linked to Enterobacteriaceae expansion. Both microbiota composition and resistome profiles returned to baseline levels one week after antibiotic cessation. The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, or comparative differences between the probiotic and placebo arms.
Why it matters
It demonstrates that short-term gut dysbiosis and resistance gene expansion caused by amoxicillin-clavulanic acid can resolve rapidly in healthy adults through community resilience.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative metrics, confidence intervals, or specific statistical differences between the probiotic and placebo groups. The study evaluated only healthy adults receiving a single, short-term antibiotic course, which may not generalize to clinical patient populations, longer regimens, or other antibiotic classes.
Cited by
- supports Following antibiotic use, the gut microbiome shifts but generally bounces back to its baseline composition after cessation of the antibiotic.