Antibiotic Associated Diarrhea

A healthy adult has over 1000 species of bacteria residing in the gut (1). There is great diversity in genera of these bacteria, however the most

A couple times a year local and national mass media put the spotlight on problems connected to antibiotic overuse. Some people consider those problems to be real and serious, and others think that the discussed topics are nothing more than new “fashionable” subjects to talk about, distracting people from “real” problems, such as climbing gas prices or war expenses. Meanwhile, antibiotic overuse continues as a common practice among US doctors and agribusinesses for the last 20 years. The practice of antibiotic overuse has put patient’s health at risk, contributed to antibiotic resistance and increased bacterial mutation to a new, stronger level; as well as it hitting the economy with new costly expenses in health care. It is time to stop

The sheer diversity of the microbiota means that bodily disorders associated with the gut region (encompassing the stomach and intestines) are difficult to diagnose, and even harder to find the source of the disorder. Intestinal Bowel Disease (IBD) is a large category of bodily disorders associated with the gut. IBD most commonly manifests itself in two forms – Crohn’s Disease, and Ulcerative Colitis [1]. Crohn’s disease is arguably a more severe form of the disease, as the diseased tissue tends to go deeper into the intestines. Ulcerative Colitis, while still very detrimental and pain causing, causes inflammation of tissue at more of the surface level. The diseases affects a significant portion of the population, with a high rate of new cases discovered - between 20,000 and 100,000 people are diagnosed with types of IBD annually in North America [1]. The role of the microbiota in inducing intestinal diseases has been suspected.

As the number of people over the age of 65 grows, so does the incidence of Crohn’s disease in that population. Crohn’s disease is already a difficult disease to manage, but in the elderly they may have more comorbidities and take more medications that make managing Crohn’s disease even more difficult. Because of lower thresholds for admitting older patients, increased likelihood of seeking medical care, increased adverse effects to medications, and more pre-existing comorbidities, older patients more likely to be hospitalized for Crohn’s disease (Ha & Katz, 2014). When older adults are hospitalized for any bowel disorder, it puts them at even higher risks for malnutrition, dehydration, infections including Clostridium difficile, and higher rates of other hospital related adverse events, such as thromboembolisms, pneumonia, and pressure sores (Ha & Katz, 2014). Crohn’s can be miserable for elderly patients, as they often do not have the resilience that younger patients have and do not usually bounce back as

Health experts know that most antibiotic products interfere with the immune system and the digestive system. Most of these products quell probiotic bacteria

More than a century ago the notion of microbiota working as a regulator for health and disease was already in use. They realized that consuming large amounts of fermented milk helped with their longevity. This began the foundation of probiotics. However, the oral probiotics that are used today are at a lower amount than what is contained in the colon. After cycling through the digestive system it is

Clostridium difficile is an obligate anaerobe, gram positive bacteria that has the ability to form spores. Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of nosocomial antibiotic associated diarrhea worldwide. C. difficile is an opportunist pathogen that utilizes many factors to infect and damage the host, often with overwhelming consequences. Symptoms range in severity from mild diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis and toxic megacolon, the most severe form of disease, which often results in death (Awad, 2014).

The population of this study resembled the population of interest in case study #1. The subjects concerns are preventing the antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD) by using the interventions fermented milk containing Lactobacillus or other probiotic which is the topic of discussion in

Research has revealed how overprescribing antibiotic creates several adverse outcomes, including the development of multidrug resistant organisms, Clostridium difficile infection, and increased costs of health care (Myung et al., 2015). The Consumer Report (2015) raised concern for the overuse of antibiotics and how it leads to the loss of the ability to treat serious infections. Doctors,

Bowel preparation traditionally consists of cathartics, oral antibiotics, and intravenous antibiotics. Previous studies have shown a strong relationship between the use of antibiotic bowel preparations and a higher rate of postoperative Clostridium difficile colitis due to disruption of the normal enteral microflora. Little data exists to show the relationship between the use of oral mechanical bowel solutions and the development of Clostridium difficile colitis. The aim of this study is to see whether oral mechanical bowel solutions, by themselves, can be implicated as causative agents in the development of Clostridium difficile colitis.

Overuse of antibiotics gives rise to a condition known as dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is a condition in which the micro flora of the intestinal system is out of whack and the correct balance of microorganisms is compromised.

Bousvaros, & E. (2005). A Randomized, Double-blind Trial of Lactobacillus GG Versus Placebo in Addition to Standard Maintenance Therapy for Children with Crohn’s Disease. http://www.hmphanmi.com.cn/hmp/upload/event/study_4/9.pdf

The use of the first form of microbe-based therapeutics, probiotics, is beneficial for preventing disease. These live microorganisms are known to strengthen the equilibrium of the gut flora by the development of healthy gut

Probiotics are ingestable microorganisms which gives the consumer a beneficial effect. First coined by the late eli Metchnikoff probiotics are described to be microorganisms which are ingested in small amount to increase the diversity of both flora and fauna inside the human body this reaction in turn affects the adaptation abilities for the human body to react to different surroundings, digest different things, or just improve the antibody or the mechanism that already exists in the human body.