Cohort studycited by the Tayebat archiveabstract only checked A-ABX-11 standard review
Antibiotics and the infant gut
Natural history of the infant gut microbiome and impact of antibiotic treatment on bacterial strain diversity and stability.
Overview
Yassour M et al.. Sci Transl Med 2016 · PMID 27306663 · DOI 10.1126/scitranslmed.aad0917
Children given antibiotics had less diverse gut bacteria.
Does the study support the specific claim? Yes · Methodological quality: moderate
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Describe infant microbiome.
- How was the study done?
Sequencing.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
39 children.
- What was actually found?
Lower diversity.
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Antibiotics change gut bacteria.
- What are the study's limitations?
Small.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Supports.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
High.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Disease.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- Yassour M, Vatanen T, Siljander H, Hämäläinen AM, Härkönen T, Ryhänen SJ, Franzosa EA, Vlamakis H, Huttenhower C, Gevers D, Lander ES, Knip M, DIABIMMUNE Study Group, Xavier RJ
- Journal
- Sci Transl Med
- Year
- 2016
- Identifier
- PMID 27306663 DOI 10.1126/scitranslmed.aad0917 · PMC5032909
- Verification
- verified – PubMed E-utilities efetch, 2026-10-25
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- abstract only
- Conflicts of interest and funding
not stated in abstract/record (grants: NHGRI NIH HHS, NIAID NIH HHS, NIDDK NIH HHS)
2. Research question
Natural history and antibiotic impact on infant gut microbiome
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Cohort study – Longitudinal infant microbiome study (monthly stool samples)
- Population
39 children
- Country
Finland
- Period
first 3 years
- Sample size
39
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Antibiotic courses
- Comparator
Untreated
- Endpoints
Diversity, strains, ARGs
5. Actual results
- Results
Treated children less diverse in species and strains; ARG peaks after treatment; mobile-element genes persisted longer.
- Absolute risks
not reported
- Authors' conclusion
Highlights value of dense sampling.
6. Strengths
- Strain-level
7. Weaknesses
- n=39
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- none applicable
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- some concerns
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
10. Relevance to the specific claim
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
High.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Supportive.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | moderate |
| Risk of bias | some concerns |
| Precision of results | low |
| Directness | indirect |
| Reproducibility | partly replicated |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | consistent |
| Regional transferability | high |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
15. Linked fact checks
- Antibiotic courses profoundly disrupt the gut microbiome; recovery can be incomplete, with changes lasting months to years. – Studies supporting the claim
Use by the Tayebat archive
Note: according to the archive, the studies were compiled by the archive operators. Whether Dr. Elawady himself cited this study is not established.
- What the archive says about the study
Bibliography only.
- A. What was actually studied?
Infant microbiome.
- B. What did the authors find?
Less diversity after antibiotics.
- C. What conclusions do the authors themselves draw?
Descriptive.
- D. What does the archive derive from it?
Supports microbiome damage.
- E. Is this derivation scientifically justified?
Justified.
- Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive)
- not applicable