A UBC study suggests that widely used antibiotics may be the cause for the increased incidences and severity of allergic asthma in children. The study is the first of its kind to link kids’ exposure to certain antibiotics to allergic asthma.
“Modern societal practices, such as improved sanitation methods and widespread antibiotic use, are causing the disappearance of ancestral species of bacteria in our gut that may be critical to a healthy immune system,” said UBC microbiologist Brett Finlay.
“Our study shows this is the case with certain antibiotics and allergic asthma,” he said.
CBS42, Wed Mar 21 2012, Link to full text