Intravenous antibiotics in preterm infants have a negative effect upon microbiome development throughout preterm life

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Neonatal medicine
• Bacterial growth modulation

Background:

• Intestinal dysbiosis is linked to necrotising enterocolitis and sepsis in preterm infants.
• The effects of antibiotics on the developing infant microbiome are not well understood.
• Preterm infants are vulnerable to gut microbiome alterations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the relationship between antibiotic administration and microbiome development in preterm infants.
• To compare microbiome changes in infants with and without significant antibiotic exposure.
• To understand the impact of antibiotics on microbial diversity and composition.

Main Methods:

• Prospective recruitment with retrospective classification of a case-control study.
• High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing for microbiome analysis.
• Contemporaneous clinical data collection alongside microbiome assessment.

Main Results:

• Antibiotic use led to decreased microbial diversity progression compared to periods without antibiotics (-0.71 units/week vs. +0.63 units/week).
• Relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae increased during antibiotic courses (+10.6%/week vs. -8.9%/week).
• Microbial diversity progression remained suppressed for weeks after antibiotic cessation (+0.2 units/week).

Conclusions:

• Antibiotic administration has both acute and lasting negative effects on the preterm infant gut microbiome.
• Antibiotic-induced dysbiosis may contribute to infant health issues like necrotising enterocolitis and sepsis.
• Current microbiome studies need to account for antibiotic exposure as a significant confounding factor.