New research indicates that children who are treated with antibiotics as well as newborns reduces immune responses to subsequent childhood vaccines, most likely to changes in the intestinal microbiome.
The Australian study tracked 191 healthy children from birth, and found that those who received antibiotics in the first few weeks of life have much lower levels of antibodies against multiple vaccines in seven and 15 months.
Among the children, 111 antibiotics were exposed to the newborn period – either through direct therapy (32 newborns), or indirectly through mothers who took antibiotics during labor (49), or the first six weeks after birth (30).
the study , It was published in the Nature magazineEvaluating infants soon from their first routine vaccinations in six weeks. It was found that children who were treated directly with antibiotics at birth have a group of useful bowel bacteria known as bifidobacterium.
Decrease bifidobacterium It was associated with low antibody levels against multiple components of the pneumonia vaccine, as well as Hemovilus fluvil Type B, in each of seven and 15 months.
Professor David Lin, director of a program in southern Australia health The Medical Research Institute, which participated in the research, said, ” bifidobacterium It is commonly found in the healthy intestines of children in the first weeks of life.
“It is especially well adapted to the metabolism of human milk sugars [a type of carbohydrate] In breast milk, thus you will see high rates of these bacteria in infants breastfeeding. “
Lynn, also a professor of immunology at the University of Flinders, said that the bacteria gave the immune system a “additional kick”, which puts it to the optimal antibodies to the vaccines.
“What we think is perhaps the most important is the formation of microbium at the time of vaccination,” he said. “Antibiotics can disable naturally colonialism by bacteria bacteriabacteria and allow other types of bacteria to colonize the intestine instead.”
The research also studied immunity in mice -free mice bifidobacterium It improves when the propiotics mice contained bacteria.
The study, which included researchers from 12 institutions across Australia, did not find the responses of a reduced vaccine in children whose mothers received antibiotics during labor, indicating that the treatment of direct antibiotics in newborns had a more stable effect on the intestinal microbium.
Lynn said that the results of the study should not “worry” unjustified “for” parents of newborns who were treated with antibiotics. “There is usually a very good cause to give newborns these antibiotics, given that infections and stiffness in the early life can be very dangerous.”
He said that newborns who were treated with antibiotics are still “beautiful, decent responses to all vaccines.” “On this time point for seven months, most infants are higher than the so -called serous protection threshold, so they are expected to be protected from infection.
“What seems to happen, over time, these responses diminish slightly faster in children who have direct antibiotics.”
The authors indicated that the study had a “relatively modest” sample size, and did not include children who were born through a Caesarean section.
In the coming months, the researchers will start a clinical trial to test whether newborn -born children are given probiotics content bifidobacterium It would improve the responses of antibodies to routine vaccines.
Probiotics is safe and is already used widely in hospitals to protect premature infants from a condition called inflammation of the perfection.
