How should antibiotics be administered in transplant patients to reduce GvHD?

During the 46th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), the GvHD Hub spoke to Steering Committee member Arnon Nagler, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IL, about the role of the microbiota in GvHD. We asked, How should antibiotics be administered in transplant patients to reduce GvHD?

The gut microbiome has been extensively investigated in the last few decades, and this research has highlighted the importance of the diversity of the intestinal microbiota, along with maintaining the integrity of the epithelial cells of the gut. During bone marrow transplant, dysbiosis can be triggered and the intestinal epithelium damaged as a result of reduced food intake, radiation, and antibiotic use. This causes a reduction in the population of microbes which have a protective effect in GvHD.