Overview

• Nature-published experiments showed that roughly one-third of 53 tested non-antibiotic drugs fostered Salmonella proliferation in laboratory gut microbial communities.
• Mouse studies confirmed that certain medications intensified Salmonella growth and triggered rapid, severe salmonellosis.
• Researchers demonstrated that these drugs reduce overall microbiota biomass and diversity by eliminating bacteria that normally compete with pathogens.
• A validated high-throughput assay now offers a rapid, standardized method to assess how candidate drugs affect microbiome resilience.
• Scientists are calling on pharmaceutical developers and regulators to include systematic gut microbiome evaluations in preclinical testing to mitigate hidden infection risks in vulnerable patients.