Is a shorter course of antibiotics OK? + Genetic risk of fibromyalgia

You’ve probably been warned that if you don’t finish that course of antibiotics, you could wind up battling antibiotic-resistant bacteria. But a growing body of research suggests that theopposite might be true. (sciencefriday.com/segments/antibiotics-and-fib…) What does this mean for you and your next sinus infection? Flora talks with antimicrobial resistance expert Amy Mathers to find out.
Plus, the driver of fibromyalgia, a condition that can cause debilitating chronic pain and brain fog, has been something of a mystery. Patients’ imaging and blood work often turn up normal, and many have felt dismissed by doctors.
A recent large-scale study (nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04492-6) identified a group of genes associated with the disease, a breakthrough that may help doctors understand people’s risk of developing the condition and reveal something about the nature of this mysterious illness. Flora talks with Nasa Sinnott-Armstrong, one of the study’s lead authors.
Guests:
Dr. Amy Mathers is medical director of antimicrobial stewardship and an associate professor of medicine and pathology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Dr. Nasa Sinnott-Armstrong is an assistant professor of computational biology and public health at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Washington state.
Transcript will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. (sciencefriday.com/segments/antibiotics-and-fib…)

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