Risk of bias in study on early antibiotics and necrotizing enterocolitis

Li et al present data on the association between antibiotic use and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in 2831 very low birth weight (VLBW)-infants from 13 neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in five continents (1). Their main result is that early administration of antibiotics is associated with less NEC compared to no-early exposure to antibiotics. These results are in line with some studies (2, 3), but challenge the concept that early antibiotic exposure disturbs the intestinal microbiota and increase the subsequent risk for NEC in preterm infants (4, 5).
Source: The Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research