Mouse Raw sequence reads. mouse gut metagenome

We investigated the increased risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) caused by the combined use of antibiotics and immunosuppressive drug in a mouse model. Our data showed that an approximate return to pretreatment conditions of gut microbiota occurred within days after cessation of the antibiotic treatment while the recovery of gut microbiota was delayed with the combined treatment of antibiotics and dexamethasone leading to an increased severity of CDI. An alteration of gut microbiota is a key player in CDI. Therefore, our data implied that immunosuppressive drug can increase risk of CDI through the delayed recovery of altered gut microbiota.