Health

Babies given antibiotics may have digestive problems in adults

A new study adds further evidence that exposure to antibiotics early in life can have lifelong effects.

Early-life exposure to antibiotics in neonatal mice had long-lasting effects on the microbiome, enteric nervous system, and gut function, according to a new study.

Posted in Journal of Physiology¹ On Sept. 9, the study is the first to show long-lasting gastrointestinal (GI) effects of antibiotics administered to neonatal mice, the Physiological Society said in a news release.

A team of researchers from the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Melbourne in Australia found that antibiotics lead to impairment of gastrointestinal function, including gastrointestinal motility and diarrhea-like symptoms in adulthood.

Chief Physiologist Jaime Foong, PhD, said: It may also introduce new targets for advancing antibiotic treatment in very young children. “

Foong and team gave mice oral vancomycin daily for 10 days after birth. After that, they were routinely reared to young adults and examined their gut tissue to measure its structure, function, microbiota, and nervous system.

Neonatal vancomycin treatment disrupted intestinal function in young adult female and male mice in different ways. Antibiotic-exposed females had a significantly longer whole-gut transit, whereas antibiotic-treated males had significantly lower fecal weights compared to controls. Mice treated with the substance had a higher percentage of fecal water content.

According to The Physiological Society, mice share many similarities with humans, but they are born with immature intestines and accelerated growth due to their shorter lifespans. “Their gut microbiota and nervous system are less complex than in humans, so we cannot yet directly link this finding to human children and infants.”

The researchers plan to conduct further research into the mechanisms by which antibiotics affect the gut and the causes of their sex-specific effects. They also examine whether early antibiotic use affects metabolism and brain function.

References

1. Poon SSB, Hung LY, Wu Q et al. Neonatal antibiotics have long-term gender-dependent effects on the enteric nervous system. J Physiol. 2022.09.09 doi: 10.1113/JP282939.

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Babies given antibiotics may have digestive problems in adults