New Delhi, Jan 9 (NationPress) The use of antibiotics by expectant mothers may significantly elevate the chances of infants developing Group B Streptococcus (GBS) disease, a prevalent bacterial infection, as suggested by a recent study.

While these bacteria typically reside harmlessly in the gastrointestinal tract or genital area, they can lead to severe infections, particularly in newborns, elderly individuals, and those with weakened immune systems, resulting in conditions like sepsis, meningitis, and pneumonia.

This research, spearheaded by an international consortium from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of Antwerp in Belgium, discovered a correlation between prenatal antibiotic use and a heightened risk of GBS disease within four weeks after birth. Notably, exposure during the early third trimester showed the most substantial link.

“Exposure to antibiotics during pregnancy can elevate GBS risk in the first four weeks postpartum, particularly in neonates lacking risk-based intrapartum prophylaxis. The early third trimester is a crucial period of vulnerability,” the researchers noted in their publication in the Journal of Infection.

The investigation was a population-based cohort study that examined all single live births in Sweden from 2006 to 2016, utilizing national registers.

Out of 1,095,644 liveborn singletons, 24.5% were found to have been exposed to antibiotics.

It was observed that the incidence of GBS was higher among those exposed to antibiotics compared to those unexposed (0.86 vs. 0.66 per 1,000 live births), especially in infants without GBS risk factors.

This study marks the first examination of the relationship between prenatal antibiotic exposure and the risk of neonatal GBS disease. However, it aligns with previous Nordic research that indicated a 16-34% increased risk of infections in early childhood (ages 1-5 years) following prenatal antibiotic use.

Furthermore, the study demonstrated that GBS-active antibiotics administered close to delivery (within four weeks) did not provide any protective benefits.

The link between prenatal antibiotic exposure and neonatal GBS disease appeared influenced by the presence of clinical GBS risk factors, with a positive association observed only in pregnancies that did not have such risk factors.

This indicates that neonates without established GBS risk factors may gain more advantages from minimizing prenatal antibiotic exposure, according to the research team.

They called for further investigation and emphasized the importance of closely monitoring neonates outside of existing GBS prevention guidelines, particularly those who were exposed to antibiotics in utero during the early third trimester.