Abstract
Impact
Meta-analysis of probiotic administration to very preterm or very low birthweight (VP/VLBW) infants shows reduced risk of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC).
Separately reported outcomes for extremely preterm infants (<28 weeks) or extremely low birth weight infants (<1000 g) (EP/ELBW) are lacking meaning some clinicians do not administer probiotics to EP/ELBW infants despite their high risk of NEC.
We present data showing the gut microbiome is impacted in EP/ELBW infants in a similar manner to VP/VLBW infants, suggesting that risk reduction for necrotising enterocolitis that is microbiome driven will also be seen in EP/ELBW infants, making probiotic administration beneficial.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference17 articles.
1. Sharif, S., Meader, N., Oddie, S. J., Rojas-Reyes, M. X. & McGuire, W. Probiotics to prevent necrotising enterocolitis in very preterm or very low birth weight infants. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 7, CD005496 (2023).
2. Deshmukh, M. & Patole, S. Prophylactic probiotic supplementation for preterm neonates - a systematic review and meta-analysis of nonrandomized studies. Adv. Nutr. 12, 1411–1423 (2021).
3. Granger, C. et al. Necrotising enterocolitis, late-onset sepsis and mortality after routine probiotic introduction in the UK. Arch. Dis. Child Fetal. Neonatal. Ed. 107, 352–358 (2022).
4. van den Akker, C. H. P. et al. Probiotics and Preterm Infants: A Position Paper by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition Committee on Nutrition and the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition Working Group for Pr. J. Pediatr. Gastroenterol. Nutr. 70, 664–680 (2020).
5. Ledinger, D., Nußbaumer-Streit, B. & Gartlehner, G. WHO Recommendations for Care of the Preterm or Low-Birth-Weight Infant. (World Health Organization, Geneva, 2022). Licence CC BY-NC-SA3.0 IGO.