Do Prophylactic Antibiotics for Neonates Cause More Harm Than Good?

Abstract

Early neonatal antibiotic exposure causes disruption of the intestinal microbiome, which may lead to lifelong health consequences, including asthma, lung disease, obesity, and inflammatory bowel disease. Standard practice for well-appearing neonates born to women with chorioamnionitis included a blood culture, complete blood count, and four doses of antibiotics over 36 hours. Audits of newborns in 2016 indicated that 100% of well-appearing newborns had negative blood cultures at 36 hours, confirming that they did not have early-onset sepsis.