- Babies admitted to NICU show antibiotic resistance genes in their gut within hours of birth
- Study analysed meconium from 105 infants admitted to NICU within first 72 hours of life
- Findings suggest gut bacteria exposure begins before birth via maternal and environmental factors
Doctors are reporting a worrying trend in infants admitted to the NICU. They found that babies born just hours earlier already carry antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) in their gut microbiome. The discovery suggests some newborns may struggle with infections that don't respond to standard treatment.
For the study conducted between July 2024 and July 2025, the doctors analysed meconium samples from 105 infants who were admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) within the first 72 hours of life, the New York Post reported. The data was presented at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Global 2026 conference.
Meconium, which is the first stool passed by newborns, was thought to be sterile. But findings suggest the gut of the babies may be exposed to bacteria during pregnancy, with maternal and environmental factors shaping a baby's microbiome before delivery. It further raises questions about how early drug resistance starts.
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"This is the largest study of its kind exploring the effect of hospital environment on the collection of ARGs in the neonatal gut," lead author Dr Argyro Ftergioti said in the press release.
"We analysed meconium samples within the first 72 hours of life to capture the earliest snapshot of microbial and genetic exposure in newborns. At this stage, the collection of resistance genes is mainly shaped by maternal transmission, delivery mode and very early hospital exposures."
Doctors stress that finding ARGs doesn't mean a baby is sick. Many people carry resistant bacteria without issue. Problems arise only if those bacteria cause infection and standard drugs fail.
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Antibiotic resistance is a known public health crisis. The WHO estimates it contributed to 1.27 million deaths in 2019. Finding clinically important resistance genes in hours-old babies shows how deep the problem runs.
"This finding suggests that a pattern of ARGs is already established at this stage. The neonatal gut harbours a diverse resistome, and the presence of clinically important ARGs so early in life is concerning," Dr Ftergioti added.
"Although some ARGs were expected, their high prevalence across the majority of samples was striking - particularly for clinically critical genes offering carbapenem resistance."
