You may soon take antibiotics without fearing the loss of 'good bacteria' residing in the intestines. Researchers from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland have discovered that populating the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of mice with Bacteroides species producing a specific enzyme helps protect the 'good' bacteria from the harmful effects of antibiotics. 'The results are exciting as it might be possible to take antibiotics without suffering from the loss of your colonic microbiome and then becoming colonised by virulent pathogens' said lead researcher Usha Stiefel Case Western Reserve University. The novel aspect of the research is that the enzyme produced
