# Incidence of atopy and childhood infections in uninfected term newborns with perinatal antibiotic exposure

> **NIH NIH K23** · CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA · 2020 · $154,815

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Multiple clinical studies have found an association between antibiotic exposures in infancy and atopic
disorders. Studies have also demonstrated a reduced resistance to subsequent infections after antibiotic
therapy for culture-negative infection. Past studies have focused on either prenatal antibiotics given to the
mother during pregnancy, or on childhood antibiotics, with little investigation of perinatal antibiotic exposure
given to mothers at the time of labor and to neonates immediately after birth. Antibiotic effect on childhood
diseases is likely mediated by alteration of host microflora diversity, adversely impacting the development of
immune responses. The immediate period after birth is a critical time for immune system interaction with key
microflora taxa and alterations are most likely to have enduring effects. Perinatal antibiotics have been shown
to cause significant changes in the neonatal gut microbiome that persist for weeks after birth. The increasing
use of intrapartum and neonatal antibiotics to prevent early-onset neonatal bacterial infection means that ~30%
of newborns are now exposed to antibiotics around the time of birth. This widespread use of perinatal
antibiotics may have a significant effect of childhood outcomes of atopic and infectious diseases that has not
yet been investigated. We hypothesize that perinatal antibiotic exposures will be associated with a higher
incidence of atopic diseases and pediatric office visits due to physician-diagnosed infection. Our first specific
aim will address the relationship of perinatal antibiotics to the clinical diagnosis of atopic disorders in the first
five years of life. Our second specific aim is to measure the impact of perinatal antibiotics on non-preventative
care office visits due to the commonest physician-diagnosed childhood infections. To achieve our aims, we will
form a birth cohort of term infants delivered from 2007-2012 at the 2 main birthing centers referring newborns
to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) pediatric care network. We will leverage CHOP’s large
integrated electronic health records from over 31 centers to follow infants from their birthing admissions until 5
years of age and form a detailed longitudinal database spanning obstetrical, neonatal and childhood health
care data. Using this database we will determine the difference in incidence of any atopic diagnosis and
episodes of non-preventative health visits due to infections among infants with and without exposure to
perinatal antibiotics. Perinatal antibiotic exposures are provided to mothers and their newborns with the
assumption that they constitute safe approaches to the prevention of a neonatal infection, a low incidence but
high morbidity disease. The results of our study may have a profound impact the perceived safety of early
antibiotic exposures, and could result in a major revision of newborn clinical practice.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9982111
- **Project number:** 5K23HD088753-04
- **Recipient organization:** CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Sagori Mukhopadhyay
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $154,815
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9982111

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9982111, Incidence of atopy and childhood infections in uninfected term newborns with perinatal antibiotic exposure (5K23HD088753-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9982111. Licensed CC0.

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