Early Use of Antibiotics Is Associated with a Lower Incidence of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm, Very Low Birth Weight Infants: Neomune-NeoNutriNet Cohort Study

This multicenter cohort study of 2,831 very low birth weight infants found that early antibiotic administration (within 3 days of birth) was associated with significantly lower necrotizing enterocolitis incidence (3.9% vs 9.0%). The protective effect persisted after adjusting for multiple confounders including gestational age, birth weight, and feeding practices across 13 NICUs globally.