Study of gut microbes, antibiotics: Clues to improving immunity in premature infants

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-04/chop-sog041714.php

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 20-Apr-2014

Contact: Alison Fraser
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Study of gut microbes, antibiotics: Clues to improving immunity in premature infants

CHOP researchers' animal study suggests that improving newborns' bacterial environment could fend off infections

Mothers give a newborn baby a gift of germs—germs that help to kick-start the infant's immune system. But antibiotics, used to fend off infection, may paradoxically interrupt a newborn's own immune responses, leaving already-vulnerable premature babies more susceptible to dangerous pathogens.

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