Deciphering the effect of maternal postpartum antibiotic prophylaxis on the infant gut microbiome: a whole metagenomic analysis.

We studied the impact of antibiotics (Abs) that were taken by mothers as a preventive measure in the immediate postdelivery period on the bacterial diversity of the infant gut. All mother­infant pairs who participated in the study had undergone 'low-risk', normal delivery and practiced exclusive breastfeeding. Stool samples of the infants and breast milk samples of the corresponding mothers were collected for analysis of the pattern of microbial composition. On analysis, it was found that stool samples of the infants in the Ab group comprised opportunistic pathogens and harbored genes encoding resistance to specific Abs. There was a relatively higher abundance of beneficial bacteria in infant stool samples of the non-Ab group. This study highlights the need to reconsider the existing practice of taking Abs as a preventive measure after normal delivery to maintain health and reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance in this particular region.