Faculty Opinions recommendation of Developmental dynamics of the preterm infant gut microbiota and antibiotic resistome.

The preterm infant gut microbiota is influenced by environmental, endogenous, maternal, and genetic factors. Although siblings share similar gut microbial composition, it is not known how genetic relatedness affects alpha diversity and specific taxa abundances in preterm infants. We analyzed the 16S rRNA gene content of stool samples, ≤ and >3 weeks postnatal age, and clinical data from preterm multiplets and singletons at two Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), Tampa General Hospital (TGH; FL, USA) and Carle Hospital (IL, USA). Weeks on bovine milk-based fortifier (BMF) and weight gain velocity were significant predictors of alpha diversity. Alpha diversity between siblings were significantly correlated, particularly at ≤3 weeks postnatal age and in the TGH NICU, after controlling for clinical factors. Siblings shared higher gut microbial composition similarity compared to unrelated individuals. After residualizing against clinical covariates, 30 common operational taxonomic units were correlated between siblings across time points. These belonged to the bacterial classes Actinobacteria, Bacilli, Bacteroidia, Clostridia, Erysipelotrichia, and Negativicutes. Besides the influence of BMF and weight variables on the gut microbial diversity, our study identified gut microbial similarities between siblings that suggest genetic or shared maternal and environmental effects on the preterm infant gut microbiota.

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Persistence of Suspected Probiotic Organisms in Preterm Infant Gut Microbiota Weeks After Probiotic Supplementation in the NICU

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2020.574137 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Efrah I. Yousuf ◽

Marilia Carvalho ◽

Sara E. Dizzell ◽

Stephanie Kim ◽

Elizabeth Gunn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Preterm Infant ◽

Probiotic Supplementation

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Preterm infant gut microbiota affects intestinal epithelial development in a humanized microbiome gnotobiotic mouse model

AJP Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpgi.00022.2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 311 (3) ◽

pp. G521-G532 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Yueyue Yu ◽

Lei Lu ◽

Jun Sun ◽

Elaine O. Petrof ◽

Erika C. Claud

Keyword(s):

Weight Gain ◽

Mouse Model ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Preterm Infant ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Goblet Cells ◽

Paneth Cells ◽

Stem Cell Marker ◽

Intestinal Development ◽

The Impact

Development of the infant small intestine is influenced by bacterial colonization. To promote establishment of optimal microbial communities in preterm infants, knowledge of the beneficial functions of the early gut microbiota on intestinal development is needed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of early preterm infant microbiota on host gut development using a gnotobiotic mouse model. Histological assessment of intestinal development was performed. The differentiation of four epithelial cell lineages (enterocytes, goblet cells, Paneth cells, enteroendocrine cells) and tight junction (TJ) formation was examined. Using weight gain as a surrogate marker for health, we found that early microbiota from a preterm infant with normal weight gain (MPI-H) induced increased villus height and crypt depth, increased cell proliferation, increased numbers of goblet cells and Paneth cells, and enhanced TJs compared with the changes induced by early microbiota from a poor weight gain preterm infant (MPI-L). Laser capture microdissection (LCM) plus qRT-PCR further revealed, in MPI-H mice, a higher expression of stem cell marker Lgr5 and Paneth cell markers Lyz1 and Cryptdin5 in crypt populations, along with higher expression of the goblet cell and mature enterocyte marker Muc3 in villus populations. In contrast, MPI-L microbiota failed to induce the aforementioned changes and presented intestinal characteristics comparable to a germ-free host. Our data demonstrate that microbial communities have differential effects on intestinal development. Future studies to identify pioneer settlers in neonatal microbial communities necessary to induce maturation may provide new insights for preterm infant microbial ecosystem therapeutics.

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Genome-resolved metaproteomic characterization of preterm infant gut microbiota development reveals species-specific metabolic shifts and variabilities during early life

Microbiome ◽

10.1186/s40168-017-0290-6 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Weili Xiong ◽

Christopher T. Brown ◽

Michael J. Morowitz ◽

Jillian F. Banfield ◽

Robert L. Hettich

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Preterm Infant ◽

Early Life ◽

Species Specific

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Evolution of Intestinal Gases and Fecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids Produced in vitro by Preterm Infant Gut Microbiota During the First 4 Weeks of Life

Frontiers in Pediatrics ◽

10.3389/fped.2021.726193 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Xuefang Wang ◽

Juan Li ◽

Na Li ◽

Kunyu Guan ◽

Di Yin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Acetic Acid ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Preterm Infant ◽

Preterm Infants ◽

Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽

Short Chain ◽

Delivery Mode ◽

Chain Fatty Acids

Background: The production of intestinal gases and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) by infant gut microbiota may have a significant impact on their health, but information about the composition and volume of intestinal gases and SCFA profiles in preterm infants is scarce.Objective: This study examined the change of the composition and volume of intestinal gases and SCFA profiles produced by preterm infant gut microbiota in vitro during the first 4 weeks of life.Methods: Fecal samples were obtained at five time points (within 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, and 4 weeks) from 19 preterm infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University between May and July 2020. These samples were initially inoculated into four different media containing lactose (LAT), fructooligosaccharide (FOS), 2′-fucosyllactose (FL-2), and galactooligosaccharide (GOS) and thereafter fermented for 24 h under conditions mimicking those of the large intestine at 37.8°C under anaerobic conditions. The volume of total intestinal gases and the concentrations of individual carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) were measured by a gas analyzer. The concentrations of total SCFAs, individual acetic acid, propanoic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, pentanoic acid, and valeric acid were measured by gas chromatography (GC).Results: The total volume of intestinal gases (ranging from 0.01 to 1.64 ml in medium with LAT; 0–1.42 ml with GOS; 0–0.91 ml with FOS; and 0–0.44 ml with FL-2) and the concentrations of CO2, H2, H2S, and all six fecal SCFAs increased with age (p-trends < 0.05). Among them, CO2 was usually the predominant intestinal gas, and acetic acid was usually the predominant SCFA. When stratified by birth weight (<1,500 and ≥1,500 g), gender, and delivery mode, the concentration of CO2 was more pronounced among infants whose weight was ≥1,500 g than among those whose weight was <1,500 g (p-trends < 0.05).Conclusions: Our findings suggested that the intestinal gases and SCFAs produced by preterm infant gut microbiota in vitro increased with age during the first 4 weeks of life.

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Gut microbiota development of preterm infants hospitalised in intensive care units

Beneficial Microbes ◽

10.3920/bm2019.0003 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 641-651 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

H. Tauchi ◽

K. Yahagi ◽

T. Yamauchi ◽

T. Hara ◽

R. Yamaoka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Preterm Infant ◽

Preterm Infants ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Infant Health ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Term Infants ◽

Gut Microbe

Gut microbiome development affects infant health and postnatal physiology. The gut microbe assemblages of preterm infants have been reported to be different from that of healthy term infants. However, the patterns of ecosystem development and inter-individual differences remain poorly understood. We investigated hospitalised preterm infant gut microbiota development using 16S rRNA gene amplicons and the metabolic profiles of 268 stool samples obtained from 17 intensive care and 42 term infants to elucidate the dynamics and equilibria of the developing microbiota. Infant gut microbiota were predominated by Gram-positive cocci, Enterobacteriaceae or Bifidobacteriaceae, which showed sequential transitions to Bifidobacteriaceae-dominated microbiota. In neonatal intensive care unit preterm infants (NICU preterm infants), Staphylococcaceae abundance was higher immediately after birth than in healthy term infants, and Bifidobacteriaceae colonisation tended to be delayed. No specific NICU-cared infant enterotype-like cluster was observed, suggesting that the constrained environment only affected the pace of transition, but not infant gut microbiota equilibrium. Moreover, infants with Bifidobacteriaceae-dominated microbiota showed higher acetate concentrations and lower pH, which have been associated with host health. Our data provides an in-depth understanding of gut microbiota development in NICU preterm infants and complements earlier studies. Understanding the patterns and inter-individual differences of the preterm infant gut ecosystem is the first step towards controlling the risk of diseases in premature infants by targeting intestinal microbiota.

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Microbiota Supplementation with Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus Modifies the Preterm Infant Gut Microbiota and Metabolome: An Observational Study

Cell Reports Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.xcrm.2020.100077 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (5) ◽

pp. 100077 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Cristina Alcon-Giner ◽

Matthew J. Dalby ◽

Shabhonam Caim ◽

Jennifer Ketskemety ◽

Alex Shaw ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Observational Study ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Preterm Infant

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Sex Differences in Gut Microbial Development of Preterm Infant Twins in Early Life: A Longitudinal Analysis

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fcimb.2021.671074 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Jie Chen ◽

Hongfei Li ◽

Sarah M. Hird ◽

Ming-Hui Chen ◽

Wanli Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Preterm Infant ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Early Life ◽

Preterm Neonates ◽

Future Research ◽

Health Maintenance ◽

Linear Discriminant ◽

Neurobehavioral Development

Infant gut microbiota plays a vital role in immune response, mediates neurobehavioral development and health maintenance. Studies of twins’ gut microbiota found that gut microbiota composition and diversity tend to be mature and stable with increasing postnatal age (PNA). Preterm infant gut microbiome shifts dramatically when they were staying in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Compositions and shifting characteristics of gut microbiota among neonatal preterm twins and triplets during their early life are still unknown, which impedes a better understanding of the mechanism underpinning neurobehavioral development and precise intervention/health of preterm neonates. This longitudinal cohort study used a twins/triplets design to investigate the interaction of genetic (e.g., male vs. female) and environmental factors influencing the development of the gut microbiome in early life. We included 39 preterm infants, 12 were Female twins/triplets (Female T/T) including 3 twins pairs and 2 triplets, 12 were male twins (Male T) including 6 twins pairs, and 15 were mixed-sex twins/triplets (Mix T/T) including 6 twins pairs and 1 triplet (8 females and 7 males) during the first four weeks of NICU stay. Weekly gut microbiota patterns between females and males were compared by linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe). Metagenomics function of gut microbiota was predicted by using Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt). Weekly function (KEGG pathways) differences between females and males were detected by using Statistical Analysis of Metagenomic Profiles (STAMP). Results found that female pairs and male pairs were significantly different in gut microbiome diversity, compositions, and predicted metabolic profiles, importantly, females and males were also significantly dissimilar within their co-twin/triplet pairs of the mixed-sex group, infants of co-twins/triplets shared more similar features than un-related infants from different twins’ pair. Future research developing personalized interventions for vulnerable high-risk infants should consider sex, and the interaction of sex and environmental factors.

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