Intestinal microbiome is related to lifetime antibiotic use in Finnish pre-school children

Abstract

Early-life antibiotic use is associated with increased risk for metabolic and immunological diseases, and mouse studies indicate a causal role of the disrupted microbiome. However, little is known about the impacts of antibiotics on the developing microbiome of children. Here we use phylogenetics, metagenomics and individual antibiotic purchase records to show that macrolide use in 2–7 year-old Finnish children (N=142; sampled at two time points) is associated with a long-lasting shift in microbiota composition and metabolism. The shift includes depletion of Actinobacteria, increase in Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, decrease in bile-salt hydrolase and increase in macrolide resistance. Furthermore, macrolide use in early life is associated with increased risk of asthma and predisposes to antibiotic-associated weight gain. Overweight and asthmatic children have distinct microbiota compositions. Penicillins leave a weaker mark on the microbiota than macrolides. Our results support the idea that, without compromising clinical practice, the impact on the intestinal microbiota should be considered when prescribing antibiotics.

Impact of Early-Life Antibiotic Use on Gut Microbiota of Infants

“…Another, published in 2016 by Finnish researchers, reported that antibiotic use, and macrolide use in particular, was associated with a long-term reduction in microbial richness [15]. Antibiotic-treated children still did not reach the level of the control samples even 12-24 months after the course.…”

“…Delayed microbiota maturation, as defined in healthy children, mirrors physiological disturbances in the host and occurs in mice exposed to antibiotics [20,21]. investigated 142 Finnish children aged 2-7 years (median age 5 years) who attended the same day-care centers at the time of the study to understand how the use of specific antibiotics can affect the intestinal microbiota in different ways [15]. The 16S rRNA sequencing data of the bacterial community obtained from the fecal samples showed that children's gut microbial community composition can clearly reflect the use of antibiotics and antibiotic use will slow down the development of microbial community [22,23].…”

“…In neonates, the early development of the microbiota differs between antibiotic-treated and non-treated infants, but nothing is currently known about the longterm associations between lifetime antibiotic use and gut microbiota in infants. Furthermore, antibiotic resistance is of major public health concern globally and is expected to become an increasingly serious obstacle in the treatment of infections [15].…”

Biome engineering‐2020

“…Such data are needed to screen for antibiotics that hit the pathogen, but not so much the commensals which are responsible for colonization resistance. Indeed, a prospective study in Finnish children showed that macrolide antibiotics caused a long‐lasting shift in microbiota composition and metabolism, while penicillins left a much weaker mark (Korpela et al ., 2016a). The above‐mentioned gut microbiome dysbiosis in CDI is a lively reminder of the extent of biome disturbance by an intense antibiotic treatment schedule and its clinical consequences.…”

EDITORIAL: “The Koch’s” view on the sense of taste in endocrinology

“…compared to nowadays with our lives being exposed to mass production of processed foods, often enriched by additives and taste enhancers as well as antibiotics and/or being genetically modified. The question arises whether all these modifications in corroboration have had an impact on the animal and human intestinal microbiome and changes in metabolism [7][8][9].…”