The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded more than $14 million to fund new approaches to combat antibiotic resistance, including research on how the microbiome can be used to predict and prevent infections caused by drug-resistant organisms

“Understanding the role the microbiome plays in antibiotic-resistant infections is necessary to protect the public’s health,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH.  “We think it is key to innovative approaches to combat antibiotic resistance, protect patients, and improve antibiotic use.”

The microbiome is a community of naturally occurring microbes in and on our bodies. The microbiome is often the body’s first line of defense against infections. Antibiotics can disrupt the microbiome by changing the balance of good and bad bacteria, putting people at risk for potentially untreatable illnesses.

Research projects will study:

How antibiotics disrupt a healthy microbiome

How a disrupted microbiome puts people at risk

How antibiotic stewardship protects the microbiome

The awards support activities related to the CDC Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative, and they also address the tracking, prevention, and antibiotic stewardship activities outlined in the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.

Learn more about CDC research on innovation to combat AR.