Taking antibiotics unnecessarily could make the flu or other viral infections worse. A new study found that mice on antibiotics can’t fight the flu as effectively.
Antibiotics lower your immune system’s infection-fighting power by killing friendly bacteria living in your intestines. Friendly bacteria keep your immune system on alert for viral invaders.
According to Science News:
“Lungs are normally sterile, so it was a bit of a surprise that killing bacteria as far away as the colon would have any effect on how well the lungs could fight viruses.”