Antibiotic whether or not antibiotics cause obesity in humans. Studies have found a correlation between early exposure of antibiotics (<6 months) and increased body mass (at 10 and 20 months). Another study found that the type of antibiotic exposure was also significant with the highest risk of being overweight in those given macrolides compared to penicillin and cephalosporin. Therefore, there is correlation between antibiotic exposure in early life and obesity in humans, but whether or not there is a causal relationship remains unclear. Although there is a correlation between antibiotic use in early life and obesity, the effect of antibiotics on
Broad-spectrum antibiotic that lists the susceptibility of community-acquired and hospital-acquired bacteria is helpful in guiding empiric therapy. Many professional organizations (for example, the Infectious Disease Society of America) publish guidelines for empiric antibiotic therapy, as do hospitals, with their choices tailored for their specific resistance patterns. Many of these guidelines also offer guidance on antibiotic dose and duration of therapy. Once a specific species has been identified and its susceptibilities determined, antibiotics can be "narrowed" to a medication which targets a more specific range of bacteria. If no specific species are identified, patients may continue on the empiric regimen. There are an