1.
Introduction
The
germ
theory of disease has been the foundation of some
of
the largest successes in medical history, which throughout
recorded
time has been dominated by infectious disease. While
the
development of antibiotic therapies allowed these diseases to
be
combated, such treatments focused exclusively on pathogens
with
little consideration of any effects on the resident microbial
communities
in the human host. Until recently, these commensal
microbiota
were largely neglected in clinical practice and mostly
inaccessible
to investigation. In the absence of data to suggest otherwise,
host microbial communities were thought to be extremely
resilient,
and it was assumed that antibiotics could be used with
impunity.
However, there is now growing concern that changes in
development
and composition of host microbiota caused by pervasive
use of antibiotics and dietary changes have contributed to the
emergence
of new diseases such as metabolic syndrome, autoimmunity,
atopic conditions, and many others.
Nowhere
is the relationship between antibiotics, host microbiota,
and human disease more clear than in the treatment of