It’s just been revealed that the antibodies produced by a common antibiotic could trigger some side effects that no one wants. Check out the latest medical reports below.
Antibodies to antibiotics could trigger diabetes
Antibodies produced against the commonly used antibiotic gentamicin, seem to increase the risk of type 1 diabetes in children already genetically at risk, scientists say.
It’s been revealed that when the Medical College of Georgia scientists compared the blood of nearly 300 individuals with type 1 diabetes to healthy controls, they found that a higher level of antibodies against gentamicin was associated with increased risk of progression to type 1 diabetes.
“G418 and sisomicin, analogs of gentamicin, also showed a similar association,” according to the website.
Their study made sure to check out some samples from the Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY) and Phenome and Genome of Diabetic Autoantibody (PAGODA).
It’s been reported that between 5-10% of newborns receive the broad-spectrum antibiotic to treat potentially lethal sepsis.
“They report in the journal Nature Communications that a similar percentage, 5.3% of the participants, had high levels of these antibodies and a high percentage of this group later developed type 1 diabetes,” says Sharad Purohit, Ph.D., a biochemist in the MCG Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine.
It’s also important to mention the fact that to compound the scenario, it’s known that premature babies are considered at higher risk for both sepsis and type 1 diabetes. Just in case you were not aware, the current standard of care for newborns with sepsis is giving gentamicin, per World Health Organization guidelines.
“These infections are common, and the babies need the antibiotic.” This is what the corresponding author Purohit said. He was also noting that their own immune systems are not well developed at that juncture, and the drug may be a lifesaving therapy. Check out more details in the original report.
