Longitudinal analysis of the premature infant intestinal microbiome prior to necrotizing enterocolitis: a case-control study.

ABSTRACT: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an inflammatory disease of the newborn bowel, primarily affecting premature infants. Early intestinal colonization has been implicated in the pathogenesis of NEC. The objective of this prospective case-control study was to evaluate differences in the intestinal microbiota between infants who developed NEC and unaffected controls prior to disease onset. We conducted longitudinal analysis of the 16S rRNA genes of 312 samples obtained from 12 NEC cases and 26 age-matched controls with a median frequency of 7 samples per subject and median sampling interval of 3 days. We found that the microbiome undergoes dynamic development during the first two months of life with day of life being the major factor contributing to the colonization process. Depending on when

SUBMITTER: Zhou Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4351051 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature