What is it about?
Commonly prescribed antidepressants appear to be able to perturb the normal microbiota of the GI tract. By inducing the SOS response, these drugs also trigger production of Shiga toxins from enterohemorrhagic E. coli strains, responsible for food-borne outbreaks around the world.
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Why is it important?
Our colleague Dr. Diana Aga of the Chemistry Department has found that fluoxetine (Prozac) is detectable in the waters of the Niagara River. Not only is the drug found in the water, but it becomes concentrated in fish, especially in their liver and in the brain. Modern sewage treatment plants were not designed to remove, and do not remove, prescription drugs from wastewater.
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This page is a summary of: Psychoactive Drugs Induce the SOS Response and Shiga Toxin Production in Escherichia coli, Toxins, June 2021, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/toxins13070437.
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