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Disrupted Maturation of the Microbiota and Metabolome among Extremely Preterm Infants with Postnatal Growth Failure

Noelle E Younge1, Christopher B Newgard2,3,4, C Michael Cotten5

  • 1Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA. noelle.younge@duke.edu.

Scientific Reports
|June 5, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Extremely preterm infants with growth failure show disrupted gut microbiota maturation and altered metabolism. These findings reveal potential targets for interventions to improve infant growth and long-term health.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Microbiome Research
  • Metabolomics

Background:

  • Infant growth failure, particularly in preterm infants, has significant long-term health and neurodevelopmental consequences.
  • Preterm infants are highly susceptible to postnatal growth failure, necessitating research into its underlying mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between intestinal microbiota maturation, metabolic profiles, and postnatal growth failure in extremely preterm infants.
  • To identify novel microbial and metabolic biomarkers associated with growth failure in this vulnerable population.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of intestinal microbiota diversity and composition (Enterobacteriaceae, Veillonella) in preterm infants with and without growth failure.
  • Metabolomic profiling of serum samples to identify metabolic alterations.
  • Application of machine learning algorithms to model microbiota and metabolome maturation patterns.

Main Results:

  • Infants with postnatal growth failure exhibited disrupted gut microbiota maturation, characterized by low diversity, Enterobacteriaceae dominance, and reduced anaerobic taxa.
  • Metabolomic analysis revealed elevated serum acylcarnitines, fatty acids, and lipolysis byproducts in infants with growth failure.
  • Machine learning identified delayed microbiota and metabolome maturation as a distinct pattern in infants experiencing growth failure.

Conclusions:

  • Novel microbial and metabolic signatures are associated with postnatal growth failure in extremely preterm infants.
  • These findings highlight potentially modifiable targets for therapeutic interventions aimed at improving growth outcomes.

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