A new study suggests that the type of microbiome that causes altered gut flora after antibiotics could lead to shortened lifespan. This is the first time researchers can monitor such effects during normal lifespan. Accordingly, suchChanges in the intestinal microbiomeoccurred due to antibiotics in early life. The diversity of intestinal bacteria was greatly depleted after antibiotics. This resulted in the gut being repopulated with one of two different dominant types of microbiota.
Impaired lifespan due to depleted intestinal flora after antibiotics
The new study results suggest that the type of microbiome that repopulates the gut after antibiotics has the potential to reprogram mammalian immune systems with long-term effects, including longevity. Previous human studies have linked antibiotics to a range of long-term health effects. However, these have also often shown different results between different people and different research. According to the authors of the current research, this variability is more likely due to the type of microbiome after antibiotic use. The depletion of the microbiome during antibiotic exposure would have little to do with it. To further prove this, the researchers took the additional step of colonizing mice without a microbiome, known as “germ-free,” with what are known as PAM I and PAM II microbiomes.
These experiments showed changes in the immune system of germ-free mice colonized with PAM-I compared to PAM-II. The study authors claim that those with PAM II typically had an inflammatory immune system. These data suggest that altered gut flora following antibiotics early in life can reprogram the immune system in the long term. The consequences of this reprogramming appear later in life. This includes effects on immunity, metabolism and even lifespan.This studyis a strong example of what cross-thematic collaboration can achieve, in this case four different research departments joining together in the project.
