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Updated: Jun 9, 2025

Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Analyses of Murine Intestinal Microbiota After Oral Antibiotic Treatment
08:33

Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Analyses of Murine Intestinal Microbiota After Oral Antibiotic Treatment

Published on: November 17, 2018

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The effect of antibiotics on the intestinal microbiota in children - a systematic review

Juliane Wurm1,2, Nigel Curtis3,4,5, Petra Zimmermann1,3,4,6

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Fribourg Hospital, Fribourg, Switzerland.

Frontiers in Allergy
|October 22, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Antibiotic (ABX) use in children significantly alters intestinal microbiota composition, reducing beneficial bacteria and diversity. Effects vary by antibiotic class, with macrolides having the most substantial impact.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Pediatrics
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Children experience high antibiotic exposure, impacting intestinal microbiota development during critical early years.
  • Disturbances in early-life microbiota composition can lead to long-term health consequences.
  • This review synthesizes research on antibiotic effects on pediatric intestinal microbiota.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and summarize studies on the impact of antibiotics on the intestinal microbiota composition in children.
  • To identify differences in microbiota alterations based on antibiotic classes and treatment duration.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search conducted using MEDLINE and Embase databases.
  • PRISMA guidelines followed for study selection.
  • Included original studies investigating systemic antibiotic effects on pediatric intestinal microbiota.

Main Results:

  • Eighty-nine studies involving 9,712 children were analyzed.
  • All antibiotics reduced alpha diversity; effects persisted for months to years, especially with macrolides and neonatal exposure.
  • Penicillins, macrolides, and other classes decreased beneficial bacteria (e.g., Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus) and often increased Enterobacteriaceae.

Conclusions:

  • Antibiotics profoundly impact children's intestinal microbiota, with significant variations among antibiotic classes.
  • Macrolides demonstrate the most substantial microbiota disruption.
  • Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole exhibited the least pronounced effect on intestinal microbiota composition.
Abstract

Keywords:
16S rRNAcephalosporinintestinemacrolidemicrobiomepenicillinsequencingstool

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