The premature infant gut microbiome during the first 6 weeks of life differs based on gestational maturity at birth.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The impact of degree of prematurity at birth on premature infant gut microbiota has not been extensively studied in comparison to term infants in large cohorts.

Methods

To determine the effect of gestational age at birth and postnatal exposures on gut bacterial colonization in infants, we analyzed 65 stool samples from 17 premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit, as well as 13 samples from 13 mostly moderate-to-late premature infants and 189 samples from 176 term infants in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Gut colonization patterns were determined with 16S rDNA microbiome profiling.

Results

Gut bacterial alpha-diversity differed between premature and term infants at 6 weeks of age, after adjusting for exposures (p = 0.027). Alpha-diversity

SUBMITTER: Chernikova DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6082716 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature