While
antibiotics have saved countless lives that would have been lost due to
infection, they are a double-edged sword. Antibiotics are prescribed
to kill a particular pathogen, for instance, one causing strep throat.
Sometimes, these antibiotics are targeted to a particular pathogen,
often called Gram negative or Gram positive, but more often
broad-spectrum antibiotics are prescribed to hasten the healing process.
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea[41] is
often the result of antibiotic use and directly caused by altering the
gut flora. When the gut flora is altered, as it is with a round of
antibiotics, pathogens are allowed to grow out of control and biofilms
develop that protect these pathogens.