Neonatal antibiotic exposure impairs child growth during the first six years of life by perturbing intestinal microbial colonization

Atara Uzan-Yulzari, Olli Turta, Anna Belogolovski, Oren Ziv, Christina Kunz, Sarah Perschbacher, Hadar Neuman, Edoardo Pasolli, Aia Oz, Hila Ben-Amram, Himanshu Kumar, Helena Ollila, Anne Kaljonen, Erika Isolauri, Seppo Salminen, Hanna Lagström, Nicola Segata, Itai Sharon, Yoram Louzoun, Regina Ensenauer, Samuli Rautava () and Omry Koren ()
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Atara Uzan-Yulzari: Bar Ilan University
Olli Turta: University of Turku and Turku University Hospital
Anna Belogolovski: Bar-Ilan University
Christina Kunz: Federal Research Institute of Nutrition and Food
Sarah Perschbacher: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Hadar Neuman: Bar Ilan University
Edoardo Pasolli: University of Trento
Aia Oz: Migal – Galilee Research Institute
Hila Ben-Amram: Bar Ilan University
Himanshu Kumar: University of Turku
Helena Ollila: University of Turku
Anne Kaljonen: University of Turku
Erika Isolauri: University of Turku and Turku University Hospital
Seppo Salminen: University of Turku
Hanna Lagström: University of Turku and Turku University Hospital
Nicola Segata: University of Trento
Itai Sharon: Migal – Galilee Research Institute
Yoram Louzoun: Bar-Ilan University
Regina Ensenauer: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Samuli Rautava: University of Turku and Turku University Hospital
Omry Koren: Bar Ilan University

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Exposure to antibiotics in the first days of life is thought to affect various physiological aspects of neonatal development. Here, we investigate the long-term impact of antibiotic treatment in the neonatal period and early childhood on child growth in an unselected birth cohort of 12,422 children born at full term. We find significant attenuation of weight and height gain during the first 6 years of life after neonatal antibiotic exposure in boys, but not in girls, after adjusting for potential confounders. In contrast, antibiotic use after the neonatal period but during the first 6 years of life is associated with significantly higher body mass index throughout the study period in both boys and girls. Neonatal antibiotic exposure is associated with significant differences in the gut microbiome, particularly in decreased abundance and diversity of fecal Bifidobacteria until 2 years of age. Finally, we demonstrate that fecal microbiota transplant from antibiotic-exposed children to germ-free male, but not female, mice results in significant growth impairment. Thus, we conclude that neonatal antibiotic exposure is associated with a long-term gut microbiome perturbation and may result in reduced growth in boys during the first six years of life while antibiotic use later in childhood is associated with increased body mass index.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20495-4

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