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Microbiome: Antibiotics and the infant microflora

Nature Microbiology volume 1, Article number: 16040 (2016) Cite this article

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Functional selection of novel antibiotic resistance genes and metagenomic sequencing reveal how antibiotic treatment and bacterial resistance genes interact to shape the fragile microbiome of premature infants.

When it comes to the gut microbiome, not all antibiotics necessarily impart a similar impact. In fact, we have known for several years that antibiotic resistance genes in our metagenome long preceded human use of antibiotics by thousands of years1. As premature or low-birth-weight neonates and infants often receive multiple courses of antibiotics, understanding how different antibiotic classes interact with antibiotic resistant (AR) genes to shape the gut microbiome of premature infants is imperative for designing optimal treatment regimens.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kristen Meyer and Kjersti Aagaard are in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.,

    Kristen Meyer & Kjersti Aagaard

  2. K.A. is also in the Department of Molecular & Human Genetics, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.,

    Kjersti Aagaard

Authors
  1. Kristen Meyer
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  2. Kjersti Aagaard
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Correspondence to Kjersti Aagaard.

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Meyer, K., Aagaard, K. Microbiome: Antibiotics and the infant microflora. Nat Microbiol 1, 16040 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.40

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.40

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