Anxiety following prolonged antibiotic use attributed to p-cresol release by pathogen C. difficile

A recent study published in the journal, Microbiology Spectrum entitled, "Clostridioides difficile infection dysregulates brain dopamine metabolism" found a growing body of evidence linking gut microbiota composition with the development of neurological disease, anxiety in particular.  Clostridioides difficile, otherwise referred to as clostridium difficile or C. difficile, is a pathogen that overgrows in the gut after extended antibiotic therapy. C. difficile overgrowth has long been…