Effect of ampicillin and bacteriophages on the mouse gut microbiota after infection with Escherichia coli O157:H7

Antibiotics have been crucial for the treatment of pathogenic bacteria. However, some drawbacks of this treatment have recently become apparent, including their indiscriminate activity against non-targeted species and the broad development of bacterial resistance. In this study, we compared the effects of antibiotic treatment and a bacteriophage cocktail targeting an infection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 administered orally to mice. We found that both treatments were effective at reducing the levels of E. coli O157:H7 in mouse feces. However, the gut microbiota of mice treated with the phages was less distorted and more closely resembled that of the control mice.