Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2009 Oct;10(5):407-17.
doi: 10.1089/sur.2009.054.

Role of the host defense system and intestinal microbial flora in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis

Claudia N Emami  1 , Mikael Petrosyan, Stefano Giuliani, Monica Williams, Catherine Hunter, Nemani V Prasadarao, Henri R Ford
Affiliations
Review

Role of the host defense system and intestinal microbial flora in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis

Claudia N Emami et al. Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2009 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating disease that affects primarily the intestine of premature infants. Despite recent advances in neonatology, NEC remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates. Neonatal mucosal defenses and adherence of bacterial pathogens may play an important role in the pathogenesis of NEC.

Methods: Review and synthesis of pertinent literature.

Results: Putative factors that have been implicated in the pathogenesis of NEC include abnormal patterns of gut colonization by bacteria, immaturity of the host immune system and mucosal defense mechanisms, intestinal ischemia, formula feeding, and loss of intestinal epithelial barrier integrity.

Conclusion: Host defenses and intestinal microbial ecology are believed to play important roles in the pathogenesis of NEC. Commensal bacteria and probiotic therapy may be of therapeutic utility in the maintenance of the gut epithelial barrier.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
Pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Weidmeier SE. Henry V. Baer VL, et al. Center differences in NEC within one health-care system may depend on feeding protocol. Amer J Perinat. 2008;25:5–11. - PubMed
    1. Peter C. Feuerhahn B. Bohnhorst M, et al. Necrotising enterocolitis: Is there a relationship to specific pathogens. J Pediatr Surg. 1999;158:67–70. - PubMed
    1. www.cdc.gov/datastatistics/2007/births. www.cdc.gov/datastatistics/2007/births
    1. Boccia D. Stofli I. Lana S. Moro ML. Nosocomial necrotizing enterocolitis outbreaks: Epidemiology and control measures. Eur J Pediatr. 2001;160:385–391. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Blakely ML. Lally KP. McDonald S, et al. Postoperative outcomes of extremely low birth-weight infants with necrotizing enterocolitis or isolated intestinal perforation: A prospective cohort study by the NICHD Neonatal Research Network. Ann Surg. 2005;241:984–994. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms