Impact of infection with Shiga-toxin producing C. rodentium and antibiotic treatment on the murine fecal microbiota

Shiga toxin-producing pathogens cause severe bloody diarrhea which may progress to hemorrhagic colitis and to hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). Encoded on a lysogenic phage, antibiotic-induced SOS responses are thought to enhance Shiga toxin production and release. While a number of antibiotics were previously determined to be save, antibiotic treatment results in significant dysbiosis. Here, we monitored the changes in the fecal microbiota composition before and after infection as well as during early and late antibiotic treatment to assess their effects in a conserved infection/ treatment model.