REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS Evidence suggests that oral antibiotics reduce the incidence of NEC in low birth weight infants .
BACKGROUND Necrotizing enterocolitis continues to be a problem , particularly in preterm neonates .
There have been reports published suggesting that the use of enteral antibiotics may be effective as prophylaxis .
This systematic review was undertaken to clarify the issue .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the benefits and harms of enteral antibiotic prophylaxis for  necrotizing enterocolitis in low birth weight and preterm infants .
Oral gentamicin therapy in the prevention of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis. A controlled double-blind trial.
The value of prophylactic oral gentamicin sulfate therapy in the prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis ( NEC ) was evaluated in a group of 42 high-risk neonates over a four-month period in a r and omized , double-blind controlled trial . Twenty babies in the treatment group received 2.5 mg/kg of gentamicin sulfate every six hours for one week after birth , and 22 babies received dextrose- and -water placebo in an equivalently small volume . None of the 20 gentamicin-treated babies developed NEC . Four of the control babies did . Two of these babies died , and their diagnosis was pathologically confirmed . This difference in the incidence of NEC between the treatment and control group was significant at the .05 level . These results support the prophylactic use of orally given gentamicin for selected babies at high risk for NEC  , particularly those born prematurely and those who have a history of perinatal asphyxia or umbilical artery catheterization or both . Continued surveillance for changes in antimicrobial sensitivity patterns is recommended
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS Evidence suggests that oral antibiotics reduce the incidence of NEC in low birth weight infants .
BACKGROUND Necrotizing enterocolitis continues to be a problem , particularly in preterm neonates .
There have been reports published suggesting that the use of enteral antibiotics may be effective as prophylaxis .
This systematic review was undertaken to clarify the issue .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the benefits and harms of enteral antibiotic prophylaxis for  necrotizing enterocolitis in low birth weight and preterm infants .