Extensive impact of non-antibiotic drugs on human gut bacteria

Abstract

A few commonly used non-antibiotic drugs have recently been associated with changes in gut microbiome composition, but the extent of this phenomenon is unknown. We screened >1000 marketed drugs against 40 representative gut bacterial strains, and found that 24% of the drugs with human targets, including members of all therapeutic classes, inhibited the growth of at least one strain. Particular classes such as the chemically diverse antipsychotics were overrepresented. The effects of human-targeted drugs on gut bacteria are reflected on their antibiotic-like side effects in humans and are concordant with existing human cohort studies, providing in vivo relevance for our screen. Susceptibility to antibiotics and human-targeted drugs correlates across bacterial species, suggesting that non-antibiotics may promote antibiotic resistance. Our results provide a comprehensive resource for future research on drug-microbiome interactions, opening new paths for side effect control and drug repurposing, and broaden our view on antibiotic resistance.