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The impact of postnatal antibiotics on the preterm intestinal microbiome

Majd Dardas1, Steven R Gill2, Alex Grier3

  • 1Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York.

Pediatric Research
|May 14, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Antibiotic duration impacts preterm infant gut microbiome development. Longer antibiotic exposure, particularly within the first 10 days, reduced microbial diversity and altered bacterial composition.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal microbiome research
  • Microbiome development
  • Infant health

Background:

  • Intestinal microbiome development is crucial for preterm infant health.
  • Antibiotic exposure is common in preterm infants.
  • Understanding antibiotic impact on the infant gut microbiome is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of antibiotic duration on the intestinal microbiome in preterm infants.
  • To compare microbiome composition in infants receiving short-term versus longer-term antibiotic therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Rectal swabs collected at 10 and 30 days from preterm infants (24 0/7-31 6/7 weeks gestational age).
  • 16S rRNA pyrosequencing used to analyze the rectal microbiome.
  • Comparison between infants receiving 2 days vs. at least 7 days of antibiotics.

Main Results:

  • A decrease in microbial diversity was observed at 10 days in infants receiving longer antibiotic durations.
  • Differences in diversity and richness were less pronounced by 30 days.
  • Abundant phyla at 10 days were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes; by 30 days, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria increased.

Conclusions:

  • Preterm neonates continue to acquire gut bacteria despite antibiotic treatment.
  • Antibiotic therapy perturbs the natural process of bacterial acquisition in the neonatal gut.
Abstract

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