Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 30, 2025
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Analyses of Murine Intestinal Microbiota After Oral Antibiotic Treatment
Published on: November 17, 2018
Deciphering the effect of maternal postpartum antibiotic prophylaxis on the infant gut microbiome: a whole
Aparna Shankar1, Devika J Das1, Seema Nayar2
1Department of Pathogen Biology, Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695014, India.
Insights
Postpartum antibiotic use in mothers altered the infant gut microbiome, increasing the presence of a multidrug-resistant bacteria. This highlights the need for stricter antibiotic prescription policies in the postpartum period.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Antibiotic prophylaxis is sometimes used in the postpartum period.
- The impact of these antibiotics on the infant gut microbiome is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of maternal postpartum antibiotic exposure on the infant gut microbiome composition and function.
Main Methods:
- Whole metagenomic sequencing was performed on breast milk and infant fecal samples.
- Mother-infant pairs were divided into antibiotic-exposed and non-exposed groups.
Main Results:
- The antibiotic-exposed group showed a higher relative abundance of *Citrobacter werkmanii*, an emerging multidrug-resistant uropathogen.
- Increased abundance of antibiotic resistance genes was observed in the antibiotic-exposed group.
Conclusions:
- Postpartum antibiotic prophylaxis significantly impacts the infant gut microbiome.
- Current policies for prophylactic antibiotic use in the postpartum period require strengthening to mitigate potential risks.
Abstract:
Aim: To analyze the impact of postpartum antibiotic (Ab) prophylaxis on the infant gut microbiome. Materials & methods: Whole metagenomic analysis was performed on breast milk and infant fecal samples collected from mother-infant pairs who belonged to two groups: an Ab group comprising mothers who had received a single course of Abs in the immediate postpartum period and a non-Ab group comprising mothers who had not received Abs. Results: The characteristic presence of Citrobacter werkmanii, an emerging multidrug-resistant uropathogen, and a higher relative abundance of genes encoding resistance to specific Abs were noted in samples from the Ab group compared with those from the non-Ab group. Conclusion: Policies regarding prophylactic Ab prescription across government and private health sectors in the postpartum period need to be strengthened.
