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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
08:33
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Analyses of Murine Intestinal Microbiota After Oral Antibiotic Treatment
Published on: November 17, 2018
Antibiotic Class-Specific Effects on Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Microbiome Disruption, Risk, and Recovery
Bhargavi Rajarathinam1, Pranav V Nair1, Neeraja Murali1
1School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kollam 690525, Kerala, India.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Antibiotics significantly impact inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) risk and progression, with specific classes posing greater threats. Understanding these class-specific effects is crucial for managing IBD and its associated gut microbiome disruptions.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Microbiology
- Immunology
Background:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), encompassing Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), involves complex host-microbiome interactions.
- Antibiotics are significant environmental factors influencing IBD risk and disease course due to their impact on gut microbial communities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and synthesize evidence on the class-specific effects of antibiotics on IBD.
- To examine how different antibiotic classes influence IBD susceptibility, progression, and microbiome recovery.
Main Methods:
- Integration of epidemiological, mechanistic, and clinical studies.
- Analysis of antibiotic class, cumulative exposure, age, and antimicrobial spectrum in relation to IBD risk.
- Review of microbiome-preserving and restorative strategies.
Main Results:
- IBD risk associated with antibiotics varies by class, with broad-spectrum and anti-anaerobic agents showing stronger links.
- Antibiotics induce dysbiosis by depleting beneficial bacteria, altering metabolites, promoting pathobionts, and impairing gut barrier function and immune homeostasis.
- Specific antibiotic classes demonstrate distinct impacts on disease susceptibility and microbiome disruption.
Conclusions:
- Antibiotic use has class-specific effects on IBD development and progression.
- Microbiome-informed antimicrobial stewardship and precision therapies are essential for optimizing IBD patient outcomes.
- Strategies to mitigate antibiotic-induced dysbiosis are critical for managing IBD.
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