How Early Antibiotic Use Could Raise Kids' Asthma Risk

TUESDAY, July 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Early exposure to antibiotics might increase a kid’s risk of asthma by altering their gut bacteria, a new mouse study finds.

Antibiotics could specifically lower gut production of indole propionic acid (IPA), a biochemical that's crucial to long-term protection against asthma, researchers reported July 15 in the journal Immunity.

“We have discovered that a consequence of antibiotic treatment is the depletion of bacteria that produce IPA, thus reducing a key molecule that has the potential to prevent asthma,” said lead researcher Ben Marsland, a professor of immunology with Monash University in Australia.