This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Jauréguy, F. Articles by Doucet-Populaire, F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Jauréguy, F. Articles by Doucet-Populaire, F.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2004, p. 5184-5188, Vol. 42, No. 11
0095-1137/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.42.11.5184-5188.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effects of Intrapartum Penicillin Prophylaxis on Intestinal Bacterial Colonization in Infants

Françoise Jauréguy,^1,2, Mathieu Carton,³ Pierre Panel,⁴ Pierre Foucaud,⁵ Marie-José Butel,¹ and Florence Doucet-Populaire^1,2*

Microbiologie, UFR des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Université Paris 5, Paris,¹ Microbiologie,² Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique,⁴ Service de Pédiatrie, Centre Hospitalier de Versailles, Le Chesnay,⁵ INSERM U88, St. Maurice, France³

Received 3 July 2004/ Returned for modification 22 July 2004/ Accepted 2 August 2004

Early-onset group B streptococcal (GBS) infections remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in infants. To prevent the vertical transmission of GBS and neonatal GBS infection, guidelines recommend intrapartum penicillin or amoxicillin prophylaxis. This intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) is suspected to favor colonization by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, the effects of this prophylaxis on the patterns of acquisition of gastrointestinal bacterial flora in infants have never been studied. We collected stool samples from 3-day-old infants born to mothers who received intrapartum amoxicillin (antibiotic-exposed group; n = 25) and to untreated mothers (non-antibiotic-exposed group; n = 25). The groups were matched for factors known to affect intestinal microbial colonization: gestational age, type of delivery, and type of feeding. Qualitative and quantitative differential analyses of the bacterial flora in stool samples were performed. Similar numbers of infants in the non-antibiotic-exposed and antibiotic-exposed groups were colonized by aerobic bacteria and amoxicillin-resistant enterobacteria (75 and 77%, respectively) (P = 0.79). In contrast, significantly fewer infants in the antibiotic-exposed group than in the non-antibiotic-exposed group were colonized by anaerobic bacteria, especially Clostridium (12 and 40%, respectively) (P < 0.05). Regarding intestinal bacterial colonization, the differences between antibiotic-exposed and non-antibiotic-exposed infants were remarkably few. The only statistically significant effect was the reduced initial bacterial colonization by Clostridium in the antibiotic-exposed group. In our study, the use of IAP did not favor colonization by ß-lactam-resistant bacteria. However, further evaluations are required to highlight the potential risks of the widespread use of antibiotics to prevent early-onset GBS infection.

Present address: Service de Bactériologie-Virologie-Hygiène, Hôpital Avicenne, Université Paris 13, 125 Rt. de Stalingrad, 93009 Bobigny Cedex, France.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Metsvaht, T., Oselin, K., Ilmoja, M.-L., Anier, K., Lutsar, I. (2007). Pharmacokinetics of Penicillin G in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Neonates. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 51: 1995-2000 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Glasgow, T. S., Young, P. C., Byington, C. L. (2006). Intrapartum Antibiotic Prophylaxis: Making an Evidence-Based Selection: In Reply. Pediatrics 117: 256-257 [Full Text]