Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 15, 2025

Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Analyses of Murine Intestinal Microbiota After Oral Antibiotic Treatment
Published on: November 17, 2018
Identification of medication-microbiome interactions that affect gut infection
Aman Kumar1, Ruizheng Sun1,2, Bettina Habib3
1Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
None:
Most people in the USA manage their health by taking at least one prescription drug, and drugs classified as non-antibiotics can adversely affect the gut microbiome and disrupt intestinal homeostasis1,2. Here we identify medications that are associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal infections across a population cohort of more than one million individuals monitored over 15 years. Notably, the cardiac glycoside digoxin and other drugs identified in this epidemiological study are sufficient to alter the composition of the microbiome and the risk of infection with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Tm) in mice. The effect of digoxin treatment on S. Tm infection is transmissible through the microbiome, and characterization of this interaction highlights a digoxin-responsive β-defensin that alters the microbiome composition and consequent immune surveillance of the invading pathogen. Combining epidemiological and experimental approaches thus provides an opportunity to uncover drug-host-microbiome-pathogen interactions that increase the risk of infections in humans.
More Related Videos
09:49Investigation of Microbial Cooperation via Imaging Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Bacterial Colonies Grown on Agar and in Tissue During Infection
Published on: November 18, 2022
11:22Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
Published on: October 15, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Microorganisms in Medicine and Therapeutics
Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Antimicrobials as Antidiarrheal Agents
Combined Effects of Drugs: Synergism
Such synergistic combinations...
Inflammatory Bowel Disease IV: Pharmacological Management
Pharmacologic...
Bacterial Flora of the Large Intestine
The normal gut flora of the colon plays a critical role in generating essential vitamins such as vitamins K, B5, and B7.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome I: Introduction
IBS is a chronic condition that can persist over a long period or recur frequently.
The pathogenesis of IBS involves a complex interplay of the following factors:
Altered...