Background: The gut microbiome highlights the significance of understanding the relationship between antibiotic use and microbial alterations. This knowledge is crucial for the current health status and future medical practices. Objectives: This review examines the effects of antibiotics on gut microbiota, emphasizing the significant changes in microbial composition resulting from their use. Methods: Relevant articles published until February 2025 were retreived from Medical databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, using keywords, such as “antibiotics,” “gut microbiota,” “dysbiosis,” “antibiotic resistance,” and “microbial diversity.” Results: Antibiotics profoundly disrupt the microbiota balance, potentially leading to chronic diseases and metabolic changes. Dysbiosis, or microbial imbalance, can arise from factors like diet and antibiotic exposure, reducing microbial diversity and promoting pathogenic species over beneficial ones. Clinically, dysbiosis is linked to increased risks of autoimmune disorders, obesity, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Specific antibiotics, including amoxicillin and levofloxacin, exhibit varying effects on gut microbiota. Dietary interventions are suggested to restore beneficial bacteria and enhance gut health. Further research should explore the long-term consequences of antibiotic use on gut health and emphasize developing effective recovery strategies. Conclusion: The main conclusion of this review is that antibiotics dramatically reduce gut microbial diversity and balance and accelerate dysbiosis, which is associated with long-term health risks that requires nutritional and therapeutic strategies to restore microbial balance.
Omidi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.