A single course of antibiotics can cause lingering changes in gut microbes

Analysis of antibiotic use by almost 15,000 people helped to pinpoint the drugs’ long-term effects on intestinal flora.

Credit: Public Health England/SPL
Antibiotic use has been linked to changes in the gut’s bacterial species that can last for four to eight years 1 .

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00769-5
Baldanzi, G.

et al.

Nature Med .

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04284-y (2026).

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