Antibiotics are often critical in saving newborns’ lives, but new research suggests they may also leave long-term effects on how a child’s immune system develops.
Scientists at University of Rochester Medicine found that early exposure to antibiotics can disrupt a baby’s gut microbiome, with those changes extending beyond digestion and influencing how the lungs respond to infection.
The study shows that when antibiotics alter the balance of bacteria in the gut, those effects can “travel” to the lungs, reshaping immune cells responsible for fighting off illness. Researchers found these changes shift lung immune cells away from aggressively attacking infections and toward a more repair-focused response.
That shift may help explain why some children who receive antibiotics early in life experience higher rates of respiratory issues, including asthma and infections, as they grow older.
Researchers emphasized that antibiotics remain essential in treating serious infections in newborns and should not be avoided when medically necessary. Instead, the findings highlight a need to better understand how to protect the developing immune system during treatment.
The study also found that these immune changes may persist over time. In laboratory models, alterations observed in infancy remained present into young adulthood, suggesting early-life exposure can have lasting biological effects.
Scientists say the findings add to growing evidence that the gut microbiome plays a key role in shaping broader health outcomes, including immune function and disease risk.
Moving forward, researchers hope the work will lead to new approaches that preserve the benefits of antibiotics while minimizing unintended impacts on long-term health.
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