Antibiotics save babies' lives but affect their gut, lungs, and ability to fight infection

Antibiotics save babies' lives but affect their gut, lungs, and ability to fight infection

Antibiotics save newborns every day, but new research shows they also leave a lasting mark on a baby's developing immune system. University of Rochester Medicine scientists found that early antibiotic exposure disrupts babies' natural gut bacterial balance and that the disruption "travels" to the lungs, fundamentally rewiring how lung immune cells are programmed and influencing lung repair and the ability to fight infections.

Antibiotics leave lasting mark on baby immune systems

Antibiotics save babies’ lives but affect their gut, lungs, and ability to fight infection, researchers report. University of Rochester Medicine scientists found that early antibiotic exposure disrupts babies’ natural gut bacterial balance and that the disruption “travels” to the lungs, fundamentally rewiring how lung immune cells are programmed and influencing lung repair and the ability to fight infections. Published in Mucosal Immunology, the…