The menace of antibiotics

Need another reason to be concerned about antibiotic overuse? Marty Blaser’s group just published a study in Nature about the impact of subtherapeutic antibiotics on the gut microbiome, metabolism and body composition of mice. Short version: antibiotics altered a myriad of things, including the gut microbiome, levels of metabolic hormones, and hepatic regulation of lipids. The end result? A fatter mouse.

We’ve known for some time that antibiotics in low doses promote the growth of animals, though it isn’t clear exactly how that works. These findings shed light on some potential mechanisms for weight gain associated with antibiotic exposure, and may have implications for the ongoing obesity epidemic.

Finally, another plug for IDWeek! I’m happy to point out that the senior author of this paper (Dr. Blaser) will be delivering a keynote address during the opening plenary, appropriately titled, “The Menace of Antibiotics”.

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