New Delhi: While antibiotics have long been known to disrupt the gut microbiome, a new study published in Nature has revealed that several commonly prescribed non-antibiotic medications may also significantly alter gut bacteria and increase vulnerability to gastrointestinal (GI) infections.
However, it has been unclear which of these disruptions might be readily tolerated and which disruptions increase the risk of health complications.
In the new study, researchers from Yale University in the US identified several common prescription, non-antibiotic drugs that altered the gut microbiome, and discovered that at least one of these drugs triggers mice to produce anti-microbial agents that target their own gut microbes.
The findings, published in the journal Nature, suggest the microbiome could influence why some people respond well to drugs, while others don't. And it could be a target for improving drug responses in individuals.
Individuals with disrupted microbiomes are also at increased risk of gastrointestinal (GI) infection because decreased colonisation resistance makes it more difficult for gut microbes to fight off pathogens, the researchers said.
For the study, the team analysed over a decade's worth of medical records and pharmacy claims data from 1 million anonymous individuals enrolled in universal health insurance in Montreal, Canada, to determine the incidence of GI infections.
"We found prescription drugs that increased people's risk of infections to the same degree that antibiotics would," said Andrew Goodman, Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis, chair of microbial pathogenesis at Yale School of Medicine.
The researchers selected 21 drugs for closer analysis. To explore how these prescription drugs impacted the microbiome, in a controlled laboratory setting, they administered each of these medications to mice and examined stool samples collected before and after treatment to track changes in gut microbiota.
The researchers found that about half of the drugs were associated with changes in microbiome composition.
And four -- congestive heart failure medication digoxin, anti-seizure and anti-anxiety drug clonazepam, stomach acid-reducer pantoprazole, and anti-psychotic medication quetiapine -- were also associated with an increased risk of infection following pathogen exposure.
Overall, the findings point to the need for more research into the unintended consequences of non-antibiotic medications on gut health—and offer a new perspective on how personalized medicine could evolve in the future.
