Researchers at University of Rochester Medicine published work in Mucosal Immunology showing that antibiotics given to newborns can reprogram lung immune cells by altering the gut microbiome. The team mapped lung immune cells in newborn and adult mice and found that antibiotics similar to those used in many NICUs wiped out key gut bacteria and changed how those cells expressed certain genes.
As a result, many lung immune cells shifted from an “offense” state, which readies them to attack pathogens, to a “defense” state that emphasises damage control and tissue repair. In particular, signals that prime cells to kill viruses decreased while signals that support repair increased. These changes were absent in mice with an undisturbed microbiome, and differences persisted into young adulthood, which may help explain later respiratory problems in some children who received antibiotics as newborns.
The team used LungMAP, a large biorepository of donated lung tissue at URochester Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital, to confirm similar alterations in human lung cells. At birth, lungs are dominated by one immune cell type, a macrophage, while other immune cells arrive from bone marrow after birth and are shaped by chemical signals from the newborn gut microbiome. Hitesh Deshmukh noted that antibiotics remain essential when needed, and postdoctoral researcher Uday Pandey said the findings could guide new approaches. Most research began at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and final studies were completed in Rochester; the work was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Difficult words
- reprogram — Change the function or behaviour of cells
- microbiome — All microbes living in a body region
- macrophage — A large immune cell that eats pathogens
- biorepository — A collection of donated biological tissue samples
- emphasise — Give special importance or attention to somethingemphasises
- prime — Prepare or activate cells for a response
- persist — Continue to exist over a long timepersisted
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Discussion questions
- How should doctors balance the need for antibiotics in newborns with the possible long-term lung effects described?
- What steps could hospitals take to protect the newborn gut microbiome while treating infections?
- How can biorepositories like LungMAP help connect animal research findings to human health?
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