Many common drugs can impact the composition of gut microbiome communities. Scientists compared directly, for the first time, the effect of 30 diverse drug treatments on bacteria when they were grown in isolation versus as part of a complex community. The researchers found that the impact of drugs on bacteria is often less pronounced when they are part of a community, due to cross-protection strategies. Mapping and understanding emergent drug-microbiome interactions within the community context may help scientists design improved therapies with fewer side effects and higher drug efficacy in the future.
