Empiric azithromycin alters the upper respiratory microbiome and resistome without anti-inflammatory benefit in COVID-19 - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #Antibiotic Resistance
- #COVID-19
- #Azithromycin
- Azithromycin was frequently used to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients during the pandemic.
- The study used metatranscriptomics on nasal swabs from 1,164 COVID-19 patients to assess the impact of azithromycin on the upper respiratory microbiome and resistome.
- Azithromycin altered microbiome composition and increased macrolide/lincosamide/streptogramin (MLS) resistance gene expression, persisting for over a week.
- No anti-inflammatory benefits were observed in host immune responses despite microbiome changes.
- The study highlights unintended consequences of empiric azithromycin use, including antibiotic resistance without therapeutic benefit in COVID-19.