Effect of Prenatal Antibiotics on Breast Milk Immune Function and on the Development of Neonatal Intestinal Immune System: the Role of IgA

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying how prenatal antibiotic use affects immune factors and gut bacteria in breast milk and newborns during the first year of life. The study compares mothers who took antibiotics for at least 7 days after 32 weeks of pregnancy with those who did not, focusing on immune protein IgA and microbiota composition. The goal is to understand how these factors develop in breast milk and infant feces and how maternal immune pathways might influence this process. The study involves two groups: mothers treated with antibiotics during late pregnancy and mothers who were not. Researchers will collect and analyze breast milk, maternal serum, and infant feces samples at multiple times: within the first week after birth, at 1 month, 3 months, and between 8 to 12 months or until breastfeeding stops. Techniques include measuring IgA levels, studying bacteria coated or not coated with IgA, and assessing a chemokine marker related to immune cell migration. Participants will provide samples at each time point while exclusively breastfeeding. The study measures breast milk IgA as the main outcome, along with fecal IgA, microbiota composition in milk and feces, and maternal CCL28 levels. These assessments help track immune development in infants exposed or not exposed to prenatal antibiotics. The study is expected to last up to 12 months of neonatal life with repeated detailed immune and microbiota evaluations.

Prenatal Antibiotics and Breast Milk / Neonatal IgA