University of Michigan Health System presented a study – “Antibiotics cause changes in gastrointestinal tract microbes and alter immune system responses, making people more sensitive to common allergens.”
The findings with laboratory mice may help explain the growing number of people with asthma, allergies and inflammatory diseases.
We all have a unique microbial fingerprint — a specific mix of bacteria and fungi living in our stomach and intestines.
Antibiotics knock out bacteria in the gut, allowing fungi to take over temporarily until the bacteria grow back after the antibiotics are stopped.
This research indicates that altering intestinal microflora this way can lead to changes in the entire immune system, which may produce symptoms elsewhere in the body.
If confirmed in human studies, these findings could help clarify why rates of asthma, allergies and other chronic inflammatory diseases have greatly increased over the past 40 years, when there’s been widespread use of antibiotics, Huffnagle said.