Emerging Insights into Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea and Clostridium difficile Infection through the Lens of Microbial Ecology
Antibiotics are the main, and often only, clinical intervention for prophylactic and active treatment of bacterial infections in humans. Perhaps it is not surprising that these drugs also shift the composition of commensal bacteria inside our bodies, especially those within the gut microbial commun...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2008-01-01
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| Series: | Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2008/125081 |
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| author | Seth T. Walk Vincent B. Young |
| author_facet | Seth T. Walk Vincent B. Young |
| author_sort | Seth T. Walk |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Antibiotics are the main, and often only, clinical intervention for prophylactic and active treatment of bacterial infections in humans. Perhaps it is not surprising that these drugs also shift the composition of commensal bacteria inside our bodies, especially those within the gut microbial community (microbiota). How these dynamics ultimately affect the function of the gut microbiota, however, is not fully appreciated. Likewise, how antibiotic induced changes facilitate the outgrowth and pathogenicity of certain bacterial strains remains largely enigmatic. Here, we discuss the merits of a microbial ecology approach toward understanding a common side effect of antibiotic use, antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD), and the opportunistic bacterial infections that sometimes underlie it. As an example, we discuss how this approach is being used to address complex disease dynamics during Clostridium difficile infection. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-48e91de0bb8a4e218e2bdd660bd599ad |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-708X 1687-7098 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2008-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases |
| spelling | doaj-art-48e91de0bb8a4e218e2bdd660bd599ad2025-08-20T03:36:48ZengWileyInterdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases1687-708X1687-70982008-01-01200810.1155/2008/125081125081Emerging Insights into Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea and Clostridium difficile Infection through the Lens of Microbial EcologySeth T. Walk0Vincent B. Young1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USADivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USAAntibiotics are the main, and often only, clinical intervention for prophylactic and active treatment of bacterial infections in humans. Perhaps it is not surprising that these drugs also shift the composition of commensal bacteria inside our bodies, especially those within the gut microbial community (microbiota). How these dynamics ultimately affect the function of the gut microbiota, however, is not fully appreciated. Likewise, how antibiotic induced changes facilitate the outgrowth and pathogenicity of certain bacterial strains remains largely enigmatic. Here, we discuss the merits of a microbial ecology approach toward understanding a common side effect of antibiotic use, antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD), and the opportunistic bacterial infections that sometimes underlie it. As an example, we discuss how this approach is being used to address complex disease dynamics during Clostridium difficile infection.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2008/125081 |
| spellingShingle | Seth T. Walk Vincent B. Young Emerging Insights into Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea and Clostridium difficile Infection through the Lens of Microbial Ecology Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases |
| title | Emerging Insights into Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea and Clostridium difficile Infection through the Lens of Microbial Ecology |
| title_full | Emerging Insights into Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea and Clostridium difficile Infection through the Lens of Microbial Ecology |
| title_fullStr | Emerging Insights into Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea and Clostridium difficile Infection through the Lens of Microbial Ecology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emerging Insights into Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea and Clostridium difficile Infection through the Lens of Microbial Ecology |
| title_short | Emerging Insights into Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea and Clostridium difficile Infection through the Lens of Microbial Ecology |
| title_sort | emerging insights into antibiotic associated diarrhea and clostridium difficile infection through the lens of microbial ecology |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2008/125081 |
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