Antibiotics in Infants May Be a Double-Edged Sword for Immune Health

The antibiotics that make babies better when they get an infection might be setting them up for respiratory troubles down the road. Recent research has found a link between early-life antibiotic use and the development of asthma and allergies in adulthood, challenging our understanding of these common medications and their long-term effects on health. Australian Study Suggests Gut-Lung Connection The study was conducted in Australia and published in the journal Immunity. Researchers using mice found that a molecule produced by gut bacteria—known as indole-3-propionic acid (IPA)—is significantly depleted when antibiotics are used in early life. “The microbiome and the immune system undergo important development steps in the first year of life, and it is during that period that antibiotic treatment can predispose an individual to allergies or asthma,” Benjamin Marsland, professor in the Department of Immunology and Pathology at Monash University and the study’s lead author, told The Epoch Times....