Good vs. Bad: What impact do antibiotics have on the microbiome?

In this project, we are studying the impact of common antibiotics on the microbiome, the ecosystem of bacteria that live in our gastrointestinal tracts. Amongst commonly used antibiotics, some are very ‘broad-spectrum’ and treat many different bacteria, whilst others are ‘narrow-spectrum’ and focus on only a few pathogens. It is not known to what extent the choice between these antibiotics impacts on a patient’s microbiome, their carriage of antimicrobial resistant organisms, and more broadly the impact this may have on the patient’s recovery from illness and future health. We will study patients in hospital and on our Hospital in the Home (HITH) program receiving two common antibiotics. We have options for the clinical and/or laboratory aspects of this project. The clinical side will be conducted at Monash Health. Detailed metagenomic sequencing of stool specimens will be conducted at the Hudson Institute by the Microbiota and Systems Biology Laboratory run by Dr Sam Forster. Students will be given the opportunity to learn about all aspects of microbiome analyses, while also participating in this important collaborative research opportunity Funding is available to support activities during the year including conference attendance.