Finding a balance in antibiotic medicine: can we kill ‘bad’ bacteria while preserving the ‘good’?

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A new study led by Principal Research Fellow Dr Wilber Sabiiti has found that antibiotics used to treat tuberculosis also kill other potentially useful bacteria. Such “good” bacteria play a key role in strengthening the immune system and transforming the food we consume into essential nutrients.

Crucially, however, the study results also suggest that a careful balance of different antibiotics helps mitigate the impact of this “killing effect.” Particular combinations of drugs in certain amounts, the researchers found, allowed levels of these beneficial bacteria to recover quickly.