Ceftriaxone and Piperacillin/Tazobactam: Differentially Upsetting the Microbiome

In mice, ceftriaxone caused more extensive and prolonged disruption of the gut microbiome than piperacillin/tazobactam.

Antibiotics induce gut dysbiosis, thereby enabling colonization by drug-resistant pathogens. The degree of these adverse effects varies among antibiotics in ways not explained simply by spectrum of activity. Researchers used a murine model to examine the effects of piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP) versus ceftriaxone (CRO) on the gut microbiota by analyzing changes in fecal microbiome shown with 16S-rRNA amplicon sequencing and microbiology.

The Bacteroidetes dominating the gut flora in untreated and sham-treated mice were reduced by both TZP and CRO, whereas Lactobacillales and Clostridiales were both augmented with antibiotic therapy. Compared with TZP, CRO had a more-pronounced negative effect on species diversity in the fecal microbiota and …

Reviewing Author

George Sakoulas, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParatek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.; AbbVie; Shionogi

Speaker’s BureauAllergan/AbbVie; Paratek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsAntimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; Open Forum Infectious Diseases