IBS and Antibiotics

Two-week course of antibiotic benefits IBS patients.
The Los Angeles Times (5/3, Maugh) "Booster Shots" blog reported that some ten years ago, researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center began studying the "breath of IBS patients who had diarrhea and concluded that the symptoms were being produced when the intestines were overgrown by bacteria." Lead investigator Dr. Mark Pimentel explained that the "excess bacteria produce large amounts of hydrogen and methane through fermentation." Scientists begin to speculate about "killing off the excess bacteria with antibiotics."
With that in mind, Pimentel turned to rifaximin, according to Reuters (5/4, Beasley). The drug, developed by Salix Pharmaceuticals, was tested among 1,260 patients. By day 14, investigators observed some significant results.