It appears that administering antibiotics to children under one year of age may affect their general health in the long term, reports Canada.com.
Anita Kozryskyj, a University of Alberta medical researcher, has already published a study on the subject in 2007. At that time, it was learned that if an infant was given antibiotics four or more times before the age of 1, the child had a 30 per cent greater risk of asthma.
A new study will in turn determine if antibiotics cause changes in the right stomach bacteria (microbiota) of children, thus harming their immune systems.
So, for the next few months, researchers from the University of Alberta are collecting diapers from hundreds of children around the city and studying the contents using sophisticated bacteria DNA mapping technology. What they discover may have an impact on preventing and treating asthma and allergies.
Ms. Kozryskyj, will co-lead the $12 million study funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research and AllerGen.