The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in neonatal defense against pathogens, immune training, nutrient absorption, and postnatal disease development. We prospectively collected fecal samples from 58 very low birth weight infants and 34 preterm infants with birth weights > 1500 g during their first two postnatal months. Using 16SrRNA sequencing, we characterize the compositional dynamics of gut microbiota in very low birth weight infants during early postnatal development, and evaluate potential associations with clinical factors. In the very low birth weight infants group (experimental group), a total of 45 bacterial phyla and 1, 327 genera were identified. The top two dominant phyla were Proteobacteria (65. 64%) and Firmicutes (29. 64%), accounting for 95. 28% collectively. Among the dominant phyla, the experimental group showed significantly higher levels of Bacteroidetes (P 1500 g, very low birth weight infants demonstrated more active intestinal metabolism. Within the very low birth weight infants, probiotic use, delivery mode, and premature rupture of membranes significantly influenced the relative abundances of Streptococcus, Clostridiumₛensuₛtricto₁, and Pseudomonas, respectively. Very low birth weight infants exhibit distinct gut microbiota characteristics during their first two months of life. Factors including probiotic using, delivery mode, and premature rupture of membranes significantly influence specific bacterial populations. The gut microbiome represents a crucial influencing the health outcomes of very low birth weight infants.
Wu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.