Good bacteria armed with antibiotic resistance protect gut microbiome

Populating the gastrointestinal tracts of mice with Bacteroides species producing a specific enzyme helps protect the good commensal bacteria from the harmful effects of antibiotics, researchers have found. Antibiotics are powerful weapons against pathogens, but most are relatively indiscriminate, killing the good bacteria, along with the bad. Thus, they may render patients vulnerable to invasion, particularly by virulent, antibiotic-resistant pathogens that frequently populate hospitals.