Antibiotics Affect Newborns’ Gut Health According To A New Study
Research reveals that treating newborns with antibiotics during their first week of life is associated with a drop in good bacteria, which is important for a variety of functions such as milk digestion, as well as a rise in antimicrobial resistance. Using antibiotics in a method that does the least damage to the baby’s microbiome – the community of microorganisms that dwell in our bodies – is something that experts recommend that practitioners examine.
According to current recommendations, medicines that are effective against a broad variety of bacteria are routinely provided to four to ten percent of all neonates who are suspected of having an illness. Antibiotics, according to the experts, are supplied inappropriately in the vast majority of instances since only a tiny number of people who take the medications are ultimately diagnosed with an illness.
The study
This overprescription is intended to guarantee that people who are finally determined to have an infection get treatment as soon as possible since any delay might be life-threatening. Using 227 neonates, a clinical experiment was done by experts from the Universities of Edinburgh and Birmingham, as well as the Spaarne Hospital and University Medical Center in Utrecht, the Netherlands, to determine how antibiotics impact a newborn’s microbiota.
When it came to probable sepsis, 147 newborns were treated with one of three conventional antibiotic regimens. The results of these newborns were compared to those of 80 babies who did not have any suspected illnesses and were not given antibiotic treatment.
Before and after therapy, as well as at one, four, and twelve months of age, all infants had a rectal or fecal sample collected. The samples were examined for the presence of microorganisms that were part of their newly formed microbiome, as well as for the presence of bacterial genes associated with antibiotic resistance.
Researchers discovered a statistically significant drop in the amounts of distinct Bifidobacterium varieties in the urine of neonates who had been taken antibiotics as opposed to infants who had not been administered antibiotics. They help in the digesting of breastmilk and the promotion of a healthy gut, even while aiding the immune system’s ability to fight infection and other diseases.
Tiesha loves to share her passion for everything that’s beautiful in this world. Apart from writing on her beauty blog and running her own beauty channel on Youtube, she also enjoys traveling and photography. Tiesha covers various stories on the website.
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