Infection Control Today Magazine

Intestinal Flora

Gut-Throat Competition: Surprising Research on Gut Bacteria

From tiny villages in developing nations to suburban kitchens in the United States, dangerous strains of E. coli bacteria sicken millions of people each year – and kill untold numbers of children. Now, new research from the University of Michigan Health System gives ...More
3 weeks ago
Posted in News
Consumption of Probiotics Associated With Reduced Risk of Diarrhea From Antibiotic Use

Consumption of probiotics (live microorganisms, which may occur naturally in foods such as yogurt, intended to confer a health benefit when consumed) is associated with a reduced risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, a common adverse effect of antibiotic use, according to ...More
3 weeks ago
Posted in News
Gut Flora Affects Maturation of B Cells in Infants

Infants whose gut is colonized by E. coli bacteria early in life have a higher number of memory B cells in their blood, reveals a study of infants carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The bacteria in our gut outnumber the cells in ...More
3 weeks ago
Posted in News
C. diff Colonization Accompanied by Changes in Gut Microbiota

Asymptomatic colonization by Clostridium difficile, absent the use of antibiotics, is common in infants and when it happens changes occur in the composition of the gut microbiota according to research published in the March 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical ...More
April 22, 2011
Posted in News
Antibiotics Disrupt Gut Ecology, Metabolism

Humans carry several pounds of microbes in our gastro-intestinal tracts. Recent research suggests that this microbial ecosystem plays a variety of critical roles in our health. Now, working in a mouse model, researchers from Canada describe many of the interactions between ...More
April 20, 2011
Posted in News
Intestinal Bacteria Organize in Clusters

As partners in the international research consortium named MetaHit, scientists from the University of Copenhagen have contributed to show that an individual's intestinal bacteria flora, regardless of nationality, gender and age, organizes itself in certain clusters. The ...More
April 20, 2011
Posted in News
Antibiotics Have Long-Term Impacts on Gut Flora

Short courses of antibiotics can leave normal gut bacteria harbouring antibiotic resistance genes for up to two years after treatment, say scientists writing in the latest issue of Microbiology. The researchers believe that this reservoir increases the chances of resistance ...More
November 1, 2010
Posted in News
Antibiotics Take Toll on Beneficial Microbes in Gut

In mice, University of Michigan researcher Vincent B. Young found that gut microflora were significantly altered after antibiotics. It’s common knowledge that a protective navy of bacteria normally floats in our intestinal tracts. Antibiotics at least ...More
June 18, 2009
Posted in News