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Updated: Aug 26, 2026

Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Analyses of Murine Intestinal Microbiota After Oral Antibiotic Treatment
Published on: November 17, 2018
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea accompanied by large-scale alterations in the composition of the fecal microbiota
Vincent B Young1, Thomas M Schmidt
1Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Infectious Diseases Unit, National Food Safety and Toxicology Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA. youngvi@msu.edu
Abstract:
Alterations in the diversity of the gut microbiota are believed to underlie the development of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD). A molecular phylogenetic analysis was performed to document temporal changes in the diversity of fecal bacteria of a patient who developed AAD. Antibiotic administration was associated with distinct changes in the diversity of the gut microbiota, including a marked decrease in the prevalence of butyrate-producing bacteria. Following the discontinuation of the antibiotic, resolution of diarrhea was accompanied by a reversal of these changes, providing the first direct evidence linking changes in the community structure of the gastrointestinal bacteria with the development of AAD.
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