Early Life Exposure To Antibiotics May Impact Adult Health

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Ms. Pajau Vangay

Graduate Research Fellow
Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology
Vice President of Grants, Council of Graduate Students
University of Minnesota

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Previous studies showed links between antibiotic use and unbalanced gut bacteria, and others showed links between unbalanced gut bacteria and adult disease. Over the past year we synthesized hundreds of studies and found evidence of strong correlations between antibiotic use, changes in gut bacteria, and disease in adulthood.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Response: Early-life exposure to antibiotics may lead to unintended health consequences later in life.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: We recommend establishment of a large and diverse baseline cohort to refine our understanding of ‘‘normal development’’ of the infant microbiome so that pediatric dysbiosis can be identified robustly. Additionally, we recommend longitudinal and cross-sectional studies that assess the short-term, mechanistic, and longer-term health impact of antibiotics in order to provide evidence-based recommendations regarding safe practices for antibiotic usage in infants.

Citation:

Cell Host Microbe. 2015 May 13;17(5):553-564. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2015.04.006.

Antibiotics, Pediatric Dysbiosis, and Disease.

Vangay P1, Ward T2, Gerber JS3, Knights D4.

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MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ms. Pajau Vangay (2015). Early Life Exposure To Antibiotics May Impact Adult Health 

Last Updated on September 17, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD