Experts say that doctors should consider the use of antibiotics in a way that causes the least damage to the microbiome of newborns. The community of microbes that live in our bodies.
newborns and antibiotics
A new study has found that treating newborns with antibiotics is linked to a decrease in the healthy bacteria needed to digest milk.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
Experts say that doctors should consider using antibiotics in a way that causes the least harm to the newborn’s microbiome. The community of microbes that live in our bodies.
Under current guidelines, antibiotics target a wide range of bacteria, known as broad-spectrum. Four to 10 percent of all newborns are currently prescribed for suspected infections.
However, experts say that in most cases, antibiotics are prescribed unnecessarily. Since only a small proportion of those who receive the drugs are ultimately diagnosed with an infection.
The samples were analyzed for the microbes that made up their newly formed microbiome
This overprescribing is to ensure early treatment for those who ultimately have an infection. Since any delay can quickly become life-threatening.
Researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Birmingham, and the Spaarne Hospital and University Medical Center in Utrecht, the Netherlands. They conducted a clinical trial with 227 babies to look at how antibiotics affect a newborn’s microbiome.
Some 147 infants with suspected sepsis received one of three standard antibiotic treatments. Their results were compared with those of 80 babies with no suspected infections and who were not prescribed an antibiotic.
All babies had a rectal or fecal sample taken before and after treatment, and at 1, 4, and 12 months of age. The samples were analyzed for the microbes that made up their newly formed microbiome and for bacterial genes associated with antimicrobial resistance.
For newborns who had been prescribed antibiotics, a significant decrease in levels of different Bifidobacterium species was found. Compared with babies who did not receive antibiotic treatment.
These microbes aid in the digestion of human breast milk and promote gut health. At the same time they support the immune defense against infections.
An increase in potentially disease-causing bacteria was found
The team also found an increase in potentially disease-causing bacteria and in the number and abundance of genes related to antimicrobial resistance in the group that received antibiotics.
A change was observed in 251 of 695 different bacteria investigated after treatment. Changing the balance between good and bad bacteria in favor of more potentially harmful microbes.
Although he gradually recovered over time, changes in the microbiome and antimicrobial resistance genes persisted for at least 12 months. And they did not improve with breastfeeding, which is known to help the baby’s immune system.
Professor Debby Bogaert, Chair of Pediatric Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and leader of the study, said:
“We were surprised by the magnitude and duration of the effects of broad-spectrum antibiotics on the microbiome of infants compared to the effects of those same antibiotics on the microbiota of adults. This is likely because the antibiotic treatment is given at a time when babies have just received their first microbes from their mother and have not yet developed a resistant microbiome.”
Of the three antibiotic treatment regimens tested, the combination of penicillin and gentamicin was found. It has the least detrimental effect on a baby’s gut microbiome and the number of antimicrobial resistance genes that emerge.
The researchers conclude that this particular combination of antibiotics should be prescribed preferentially when treating suspected infections in newborns.
Related Notes:
Harvard offers 150 free online courses on health and technology
5 tips for good mental health in medical residency
Hydroxyethyl-starch, the drug that has been withdrawn due to risk of death