Microbiota supplementation beneficially modifies the microbiome and metabolome of preterm infants residing at NICU.
Probiotic supplementation is becoming more popular in NICUs as a way of beneficially manipulating the gut microbiota of preterm babies. The findings of many clinical studies support that this practice reduces the incidence of sepsis and necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in preterms. A need has therefore arisen for the provision of standardised guidelines for probiotic supplementation in preterms. Here, we performed a large longitudinal study from two different cohorts of preterm infants; 101 orally supplemented with Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus (Bif/Lacto group) and 133 non-supplemented (control group), to determine the impact of this supplementation, and to evaluate its effect on neighbouring bacterial communities.