Antibiotics are 'avoidable trigger' for bowel disease

Scientists at The University of Manchester have shown for the first time how antibiotics can predispose the gut to avoidable infections that trigger bowel disease in mice. The team, led by Dr. Elizabeth Mann, also showed that substances derived from fibre prevent this damage to the gut, suggesting a high fibre diet could be useful when taken during and after a course of antibiotics.

Inflammatory bowel disease in particular has multiple causes but one of the triggering factors in many people has been infections such as Salmonella or E coli. "We show that after antibiotics, mice are more susceptible to these types of infections, and do not mount the proper immune response to clear the infection." She added: "Not all patients taking antibiotics will get these diseases, and that's because most people need a genetic predisposition to get them.

"And it's very important that patients continue their antibiotics as these drugs are critical in clearing bacterial infections that can persist and cause serious health problems if left untreated."But what we're saying is that antibiotics must only prescribed when absolutely needed for bacterial infections. "Antibiotics, for example, are useless against viral infections such as those that cause the common cold, flu and many chest infections."