Disentangling microbiota-dependent and -independent impacts of antibiotics on host physiology.

Antibiotics directly impact host physiology independently of microbiota, altering immune and circadian functions in mice.

• Why it matters: Understanding which effects of antibiotics are microbiota-dependent versus independent is crucial for predicting their full impact on host health and developing targeted therapies.
• What they did: Researchers analyzed host and microbiota responses in conventional and germ-free mice using metagenomic and transcriptomic methods, and developed CompoRes, a computational tool to distinguish microbiota-independent effects.
• The result: They found that antibiotics like vancomycin can alter feeding behavior and immune gene expression independently of microbiota, revealing a direct pathway by which antibiotics influence host immunity and circadian rhythms.