Antibiotics Found To Cause Immune System Damage

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Augst,2016) : Harmful side effects have been associated with antibiotics including damage to the immune system and memory problems by a lack of growth in new brain cells, according to a new study. The findings serve as a reminder that while antibiotics can be powerful allies for the human body in the fight against disease, they can also do more harm than good if used in the wrong situations, BBC health reported. Studies found that the way antibiotics kill off microbes in the gut can cause health issues, due to the way the delicate chemical mixes in our bodies can be thrown out of balance by the medication. Study, led by researchers from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, involved 857 patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplants - a treatment typically used to tackle blood and bone marrow cancers. Antibiotics are usually given in these cases to prevent or treat infections linked to the transplants, but the researchers found that patient health varied depending on the types of antibiotics used.

They tested 12 of the most common types of antibiotics, finding that two combinations in particular - piperacillin and tazobactam, and imipenem and cilastatin - led to a higher risk of a life-threatening inflammatory condition called graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The hypothesis is that the 'mass exodus' these particular antibiotics caused in the patients' gut microbiomes harmed the body's immune system in some way.

Similar results were observed when the researchers tried the same tests on mice. Scientists have emphasised that there's more work to be done, and further tests to be run before we understand exactly what this means for the way we use these antibiotics in the future. For the time being, though, it's a good reminder that these drugs should always be carefully used - and not overused in any circumstances.