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Book review Missing Microbes PhiA 2.5 Sapere Aude
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PhiA Sapere Aude GZW2225 - Missing Microbes
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Is the overuse of antibiotics changing our microbiomecomposition for the worse? A book review on Missing
Microbes
Name: Carmen Bruisten
Student number: I6208148
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Philosophy In Action 2.5 – Sapere Aude
GZW2225
Date: 12-04-2021
Tutor: A. Kamenshchikova
Word count: 1699
, A brief outline of the core argument of the book and its audience
Back in the days there were a lot of different diseases that could not be cured at that time,
until Alexander Flemming discovered Penicillin. The discovery of Penicillin led to the
production of antibiotics. In the book Missing Microbes: How the overuse of antibiotics is
fueling our modern plagues written by dr. Martin Blaser he discussed the effects antibiotics
can have on our microbiome composition. When antibiotics were first discovered they were
described as medication that could do no harm, Blaser challenges this description. Doctors are
generous with giving antibiotics to prevent as many illnesses as they can, but they are mostly
unaware of the long term effects it could have. Since the antibiotic era has started there has
been an increasing amount of what Blaser calls ‘modern plagues’ that were rare in the pre-
antibiotic era, which led Blaser to believe that antibiotics could be the reason for this. He
suggests that antibiotics kill the bacteria that need to be deserted, but they perhaps kill the
good ones as well.
Blaser has been studying the microbiome for a long time now. He believes antibiotics
are the reason for multiple diseases that are evolving. He tested his hypothesis concerning
obesity, he suggests obesity is a result of the overuse of antibiotics. He discovered that when
mice were given antibiotics early in life, the mice had more fat than the mice that weren’t
given any antibiotics. This study discovered that also in humans when children are exposed to
antibiotics during the first six months of their life, they had greater chances of getting fat. He
conducted more research and even challenges the fact that the early life exposure to
antibiotics could lead to multiple diseases like: allergies, diabetes, heartburn and even
diseases like autism.
Not only the use of antibiotics determines the microbiome composition early in life.
Back in the days the Cesarian section rates were way lower than they are nowadays. More
woman choose to deliver their babies via a C-section for multiple reasons. What these woman
probably don’t realize is that when giving birth, a mothers microbiome composition is also
transferred onto their child. Besides that, also many animal products contain lots of
antibiotics, because farmers use them to grow their animals and therefore make more money.
Both being born via a caesarian section as well as being exposed to products containing
antibiotics can result in a different microbiome composition.
Blaser uses his book to raise awareness that antibiotics are what causes the increasing
rates in plagues nowadays. Not only doctors, but also the general population can learn from
this book which can result in more careful consideration with the use of antibiotics. Blaser
used the example of a woman who went to the dentist to get treatment for a bacterial
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