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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 May 11;30(5):696-711.e5.
doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2022.04.005.

Supplementation with a probiotic mixture accelerates gut microbiome maturation and reduces intestinal inflammation in extremely preterm infants

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Free article
Randomized Controlled Trial

Supplementation with a probiotic mixture accelerates gut microbiome maturation and reduces intestinal inflammation in extremely preterm infants

Jumana Samara et al. Cell Host Microbe. .
Free article

Abstract

Probiotics are increasingly administered to premature infants to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis and neonatal sepsis. However, their effects on gut microbiome assembly and immunity are poorly understood. Using a randomized intervention trial in extremely premature infants, we tested the effects of a probiotic product containing four strains of Bifidobacterium species autochthonous to the infant gut and one Lacticaseibacillus strain on the compositional and functional trajectory of microbiome. Daily administration of the mixture accelerated the transition into a mature, term-like microbiome with higher stability and species interconnectivity. Besides infant age, Bifidobacterium strains and stool metabolites were the best predictors of microbiome maturation, and structural equation modeling confirmed probiotics as a major determinant for the trajectory of microbiome assembly. Bifidobacterium-driven microbiome maturation was also linked to an anti-inflammatory intestinal immune milieu. This demonstrates that Bifidobacterium strains are ecosystem engineers that lead to an acceleration of microbiome maturation and immunological consequences in extremely premature infants.

Keywords: immune priming; maturation; microbiome; mycobiome; premature infant; probiotic.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests T.A.T. was the Research Director at Lallemand Health Solutions, the manufacturers of FloraBABY. The other authors declare no competing interests.

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