title: The Role of Antibiotics in Gut Microbiota Modulation: The Eubiotic Effects of Rifaximin.
abstract: Antibiotics are mainly used in clinical practice for their activity against pathogens, but they also alter the composition of commensal gut microbial community. Rifaximin is a non-absorbable antibiotic with additional effects on the gut microbiota about which very little is known. It is still not clear to what extent rifaximin can be able to modulate gut microbiota composition and diversity in different clinical settings. Studies based on culture-dependent techniques revealed that rifaximin treatment promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. Accordingly, our metagenomic analysis carried out on patients with different gastrointestinal and liver diseases highlighted a significant increase in Lactobacilli after rifaximin treatment, persisting in the short time period. This result was independent of the disease background and was not accompanied by a significant alteration of the overall gut microbial ecology. This suggests that rifaximin can exert important eubiotic effects independently of the original disease, producing a favorable gut microbiota perturbation without changing its overall composition and diversity.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology Division, A. Gemelli Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca Romana
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Ponziani
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scaldaferri
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Petito
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paroni Sterbini
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pecere
authors.forename: Loris R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Lopetuso
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palladini
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gerardi
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Masucci
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pompili
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cammarota
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanguinetti
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gasbarrini
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000187:drug effects; D012294:Rifamycins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000078262:Rifaximin
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012294:Rifamycins; D000078262:Rifaximin