Taking antibiotics for a bacterial infection related to pneumonia does not appear to impact the risk of developing multiple sclerosis, a study in the June edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology demonstrates.

Previous research has suggested that the bacterial infection Chlamydophila pneumoniae may be related to MS risk. The study authors sought to determine whether individuals who were treated with antibiotics for this infection would have a lower risk of MS than would subjects who did not received antibiotics.

A total of 163 patients with MS who were followed for up to three years before their first MS symptom were included in the trial. Each MS patient was matched with up to ten subjects who did not take antibiotics during the prior three years.

The investigators found that overall antibiotic use or use of antibiotics against C. pneumoniae was not associated with MS risk. The researchers did find, however, that the use of penicillins during the three years before the first MS symptoms was related to a reduced risk of a first MS attack.

"In conclusion, use of antibiotics active against C. pneumoniae was not associated with a decreased risk of short-term MS," the authors concluded. "The observed lower risk of MS for penicillin users needs to be confirmed in other populations."

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