Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Sep;33(9):459-66.
doi: 10.1016/j.it.2012.05.003. Epub 2012 Jun 5.

Antibiotics, microbiota, and immune defense

Affiliations
Review

Antibiotics, microbiota, and immune defense

Carles Ubeda et al. Trends Immunol. 2012 Sep.

Abstract

The gastrointestinal tract microbiota contributes to the development and differentiation of the mammalian immune system. The composition of the microbiota affects immune responses and affects susceptibility to infection by intestinal pathogens and development of allergic and inflammatory bowel diseases. Antibiotic administration, while facilitating clearance of targeted infections, also perturbs commensal microbial communities and decreases host resistance to antibiotic-resistant microbes. Here, we review recent advances that begin to define the interactions between complex intestinal microbial populations and the mammalian immune system and how this relation is perturbed by antibiotic administration. We further discuss how antibiotic-induced disruption of the microbiota and immune homeostasis can lead to disease and we review strategies to restore immune defenses during antibiotic administration.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Microbiota effects on immunity. Products derived from commensal microbes stimulate the production of the antimicrobial peptide Reg3γ by intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), Paneth cells and γδ T cells. Different microbial species have different effects on Reg3γ expression. Although Bifidobacterium longum diminishes intestinal Reg3γ levels, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron increases Reg3γ expression. Peptidoglycan induces expression of defensins by Paneth cells and upon translocation into the circulation primes neutrophils, enhancing their ability to kill pathogenic bacteria. In addition, peptidoglycan is essential for the development of isolated lymphoid follicles. Mucus production is also induced by the intestinal microbiota. Intestinal T regulatory cell differentiation is induced by polysaccharide A of Bacteroides fragilis and by induction of transforming growth factor β secretion by Clostridiales spp. Segmented filamentous bacteria associate with IECs and induces serum amyloid A expression, which, in conjunction with dendritic cells, induces differentiation of T helper 17 cells. Commensal microbes induce the production of highly specific IgA by B cells.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Hooper LV, et al. How host-microbial interactions shape the nutrient environment of the mammalian intestine. Annu Rev Nutr. 2002;22:283–307. - PubMed
    1. Vollaard EJ, Clasener HA. Colonization resistance. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1994;38:409–414. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hill DA, Artis D. Intestinal bacteria and the regulation of immune cell homeostasis. Annu Rev Immunol. 2010;28:623–667. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brandl K, et al. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci exploit antibiotic-induced innate immune deficits. Nature. 2008;455:804–807. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hill DA, et al. Commensal bacteria-derived signals regulate basophil hematopoiesis and allergic inflammation. Nat Med. 2012;18:538–546. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances