Since their discovery in 1928, antibiotics have become a common way of treating infections caused by bacteria, fungi and other microbes.

This drug is usually contained in a capsule then swallowed, where it dissolves in the stomach. There, the antibiotic goes to work, destroying all bacteria in the stomach (including the good bacteria, which help our body function).

The antibiotic is simultaneously absorbed into the bloodstream, where it is circulated around the body to target any infection present in other body sites, such as the throat or ears.

Whether patients have an ear or urinary tract infection, the gut is the first point of treatment for bacterial infections.