Antibiotics and collateral damage.

The precarious stability of the normal indigenous flora of the human gastrointestinal tract may be disturbed by a number of factors, but frequently and crucially by antibiotic therapy. This article explores recent insights on the collateral and ecologic effects of antibiotics on the microbiologic flora of the human body and the possible consequences of those effects, which are just beginning to be better understood. New data on this subject will not only help in designing better clinical trials but also begin to answer key questions about collateral damage.