How gut viruses and bacteria respond to antibiotics and inflammation
Functional characterization of viral-bacterial-human interactions during antimicrobial and inflammatory perturbations across different lifespans
This project looks at how gut viruses and bacteria change after antibiotics or inflammation to better understand adult gut health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11193810 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will study virus-bacteria-human interactions using genomic and computational tools to see how antibiotic use and inflammatory conditions change the gut ecosystem. They will analyze over 70,000 banked stool samples from multiple patient cohorts with detailed clinical information. The team will track bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) alongside bacterial species to find patterns linked to loss of diversity or gut symptoms. Results will be compared across different ages and clinical backgrounds to identify viral changes that may drive or signal unhealthy shifts in the microbiome.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for related recruitment or sample donation would be adults with recent antibiotic use or with inflammatory gut conditions such as IBD.
Not a fit: People without gut-related symptoms, no history of antibiotic exposure, or those under age 21 may be less likely to receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to prevent or reverse harmful microbiome changes after antibiotics or gut inflammation.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies suggest phages influence gut bacterial communities, but linking viral changes to human health using large clinical sample sets remains relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Saint Louis, United States
- Washington University — Saint Louis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dantas, Gautam — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Dantas, Gautam
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.