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Predicted Metabolic Pathway Distributions in Stool Bacteria in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants: Potential Relationships
Maureen Groer1, Elizabeth M Miller2, Anujit Sarkar1,3
1College of Nursing, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
Insights
The gut microbiome of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants is often dysbiotic, showing altered metabolic pathways that may contribute to poor postnatal growth. This dysbiosis impacts nutrient metabolism and infection susceptibility in VLBW infants.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Neonatalogy
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
Background:
- Very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants frequently exhibit growth faltering, impacting long-term neurodevelopment and anthropometric outcomes.
- The influence of an imbalanced gut microbiome (dysbiosis) on growth in VLBW infants remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the gut microbiome composition and predicted metabolic functions in VLBW infants.
- To compare the gut microbiota and its metabolic potential between VLBW and full-term infants.
Main Methods:
- Weekly stool samples were collected from 84 VLBW infants over six weeks.
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing (Illumina MiSeq) was used to characterize the gut microbiota.
- Predicted metabolic pathways were analyzed and compared to a database from term infants.
Main Results:
- VLBW infants showed an increased or consistent presence of Gammaproteobacteria.
- Significant differences in 228 metabolic pathways were observed between VLBW and term infants.
- 133 pathways were significantly reduced in VLBW infants, including those for glycan biosynthesis, amino acid metabolism, and overall biosynthetic capacity.
Conclusions:
- Dysbiotic gut microbiota and altered metabolic pathways are characteristic of VLBW infants.
- The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in mediating postnatal growth in VLBW infants.
- Microbial metabolic deficiencies may contribute to growth faltering and increased infection risk in this vulnerable population.
Abstract:
Many very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants experience growth faltering in early life despite adequate nutrition. Early growth patterns can affect later neurodevelopmental and anthropometric potentials. The role of the dysbiotic gut microbiome in VLBW infant growth is unknown. Eighty-four VLBW infants were followed for six weeks after birth with weekly stool collection. DNA was extracted from samples and the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced with Illumina MiSeq. A similar microbiota database from full-term infants was used for comparing gut microbiome and predicted metabolic pathways. The class Gammaproteobacteria increased or remained consistent over time in VLBW infants. Out of 228 metabolic pathways that were significantly different between term and VLBW infants, 133 pathways were significantly lower in VLBW infants. Major metabolic differences in their gut microbiome included pathways involved in decreased glycan biosynthesis and metabolism, reduced biosynthetic capacity, interrupted amino acid metabolism, changes that could result in increased infection susceptibility, and many other system deficiencies. Our study reveals poor postnatal growth in a VLBW cohort who had dysbiotic gut microbiota and differences in predicted metabolic pathways compared to term infants. The gut microbiota in VLBW infants likely plays an important role in postnatal growth.
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