Antibiotics Potentially Used in Response to Bioterrorism and the Risk of Major Congenital Malformations

The authors compared infants with fetal exposure to several antibiotics recommended for use following a bioterror attack and one antibiotic not recommended for such use to infants with no fetal exposure to antibiotics to assess the risk of major congenital malformations from pregnancy-related exposures to antibiotics in the event of bioterrorism. Study findings suggest that fetal exposure to ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, doxycycline, or amoxicillin following a bioterror attack should not result in a greater incidence of major congenital malformations overall, but additional research is needed.