§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the administration of repeated courses of antibiotics results in a depletion of beneficial human gut flora, particularly in children and the elderly; and, if it does, whether this effect has any relationship to the ability of an individual to resist infection by food poisoning organisms. [HL2445]
§ Baroness Jay of PaddingtonThe normal bacterial flora in the gut is known to be affected by broad spectrum antibiotics, although it is likely to be re-established rapidly on completion of the treatment. A number of factors affect the ability of an individual to resist infection by food poisoning organisms, of which a normal gut flora may be one.