Researchers suggest that administering antibiotics after the incision may even benefit the child’s immune development later in life.
A study published in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control is the largest of its kind and challenges current recommendations for antibiotic use in cesarean deliveries. The study, co-authored by Rutgers University researchers, concluded that administering antibiotics after clamping does not increase the risk of infection at the incision site.
The research also suggests that administering antibiotics after the umbilical cord is clamped could benefit the fetus’s developing microbiome.
National and international guidelines1 recommend antibiotics before the skin incision, which exposes the baby to antibiotics during birth and affects the microbiome assembly, according to the study’s authors.
“Early disturbance of bacterial colonization and the developing health microbiome may have consequences for immune development, leading to immune malfunctions later in life,” said co-author Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, who is the Henry Rutgers Professor of Microbiome and Health, professor of microbiology and anthropology, and director of the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.2
The authors say that the current recommendation for antibiotics before clamping should be revised because it can cause additional stressors that impair transmission and colonization of maternal microbiomes after birth.
__
References
S4E1: New RNA platform can predict pregnancy complications
February 11th 2022In this episode of Pap Talk, Contemporary OB/GYN® sat down with Maneesh Jain, CEO of Mirvie, and Michal Elovitz, MD, chief medical advisor at Mirvie, a new RNA platform that is able to predict pregnancy complications by revealing the biology of each pregnancy. They discussed recently published data regarding the platform's ability to predict preeclampsia and preterm birth.
Listen
sFLT1/PLGF ratio may improve risk stratification for birth outcomes
March 17th 2025A recent study suggests that the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 to placental growth factor ratio can help predict clinical deterioration, intrapartum fetal distress, and mode of delivery, offering valuable insights for patient counseling and labor management.
Read More
Study reports reduced maternal breastfeeding in late preterm infants
March 12th 2025A recent study reveals significantly lower initiation and continuation rates of Mother’s own milk feeding among late preterm infants compared to other gestational age groups, highlighting a need for targeted support.
Read More