Drugs and Bugs: The Emerging Field of Pharmacomicrobiomics

This session will explore drug-microbial interactions in small animal patients. There is mounting evidence that many drug classes alter various microbial populations in the host. Most important of these are the antibiotics, which significantly and negatively impact the gastrointestinal microbiome by reducing microbial diversity and promoting the growth of bacteria with pathogenic potential. Less commonly recognized are the effects the microbiome has on drug disposition, efficacy, and toxicity, a field which has been coined “pharmacomicrobiomics.” These interactions have the potential to significantly impact clinical outcomes. New approaches are currently in development to harness drug-microbial relationships and optimize drug therapy.