The Impact of Maternal Antibiotic Consumption on the Development of Oral Thrush Infection in Breastfeeding Infants: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Journal Article

2025

Published in: https://doi.org/10.1089/bfm.2024.0209

Background: Oral thrush is a common yeast infection caused by Candida albicans in infants during their first few weeks or months. Infant mothers’ antibiotics consumption can contribute to this opportunistic fungal growth due to their weaker immune systems.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between maternal antibiotic consumption and oral thrush infection in breastfeeding infants, this study aims to provide insights for health care professionals regarding antibiotic prescriptions and preventive strategies for managing oral thrush.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design with a control group was used. Eighty-two breastfeeding infants were divided into two groups: Group 1 (n = 40) infants of antibiotic-consuming mothers and Group 2 (n = 42) infants of nonantibiotic-consuming mothers. The oral samples were collected using sterile cotton swabs and cultured on Sabouraud’s dextrose agar C. albicans, confirmed by simple staining and a germ tube test.

Results: Infants aged 1–11 months with a mean ± standard deviation of 4.8 ± 3.51. Within all 82 oral swabs, 42.7% were positive for C. albicans growth and 57.3% were negative. The highest percentage was in 1-month-old infants (n = 9, 25.71%), and the lowest was in 11 months old (n = 2, 5.71%). Group 2 infants had significantly fewer positive C. albicans growth (n = 12, 28.57%) compared with group 1 (n = 23; 57.5%) (χ2 = 7.0, p = 0.007; odds ratio = 3.332, 95% confidence interval = 1.35–8.46). Oral thrush clinical signs were identified in 66.6% and 33.4% of group 1 and 2 infants, respectively, while 31.4% of C. albicans-positive colonization showed no clinical manifestations.

Conclusion: Maternal antibiotic consumption for more than 1 week is associated with the occurrence of oral thrush in breastfeeding infants. Differences in clinical signs in two groups of infants indicate the importance of laboratory tests for early oral thrush diagnosis. This can help health care professionals understand oral thrush causes, enable early detection, improve treatment, and enhance appropriate antibiotic use in breastfeeding mothers.