title: Lactobacillus Sepsis following a Laparotomy in a Preterm Infant: A Note of Caution.
abstract: Probiotics for preterm infants have been shown to reduce the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis and all-cause mortality in a recent meta-analysis. It has been argued, however, that some of these results may not be applicable to specific subgroups, e.g. infants with a birth weight of <1,000 g. The specific role of probiotics in improving health outcomes in preterm and term infants following intestinal surgery is not well defined. We report a case of a premature infant diagnosed with late-onset sepsis due to Lactobacillus rhamnosus following a laparotomy. We review pertinent published cases. This case highlights the importance of considering preterm infants as being at a higher risk of systemic probiotic infection following intestinal surgery.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, S.A., Australia.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brecht
authors.forename: Alka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Longstaff
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Andersen
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D007813:Laparotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000382:microbiology; D019936:Probiotics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*