Antibiotics reverse damage caused to blood stem cells by chronic Salmonella, study suggests

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A study from Ben-Gurion University identified that chronic Salmonella infections severely damage blood stem cells but found that appropriate antibiotic treatment can fully restore these cells. This discovery offers important medical insights into treatment possibilities for long-term infection effects.

A new study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) has revealed that long-term Salmonella infections severely damage blood stem cells—the essential factory cells in bone marrow that produce all the body's blood and immune cells. However, the research, published in Cell Reports, shows that this damage is completely reversible. Giving an effective course of antibiotics fully restores the stem cells, allowing them to recover their health and rebuilding power. The study was led by Prof. Roi Gazit and Dr. Ofir Cohen from BGU's Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics in the Faculty of Health Sciences.