Immediate Postnatal Microbial Colonization in Sick Term Neonates Admitted to NICU: Prevalence, Microbiota, and...

Area of Science:

• Neonatal microbiome research
• Microbial ecology in healthcare settings
• Infant health and development

Background:

• Immediate postnatal colonization plays a critical role in infant health.
• Understanding the early microbial landscape is crucial for identifying risk factors and developing interventions.
• Previous studies have focused on healthy infants, leaving a gap in knowledge for sick neonates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence, microbial taxa, and associated factors of immediate postnatal rectal (RC) and nasopharyngeal colonization (NPC) in sick term infants.
• To analyze the relationship between colonization patterns and maternal-neonatal variables.
• To compare colonization in sick versus healthy term infants.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort, single-center study.
• Nasopharyngeal (NPCx) and rectal (RCx) microbial cultures obtained within 20 minutes of birth.
• Logistic regression analysis to assess associations with maternal-neonatal variables.

Main Results:

• Nasopharyngeal colonization (NPCx) occurred in 52% of infants, dominated by Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE).
• Rectal colonization (RCx) occurred in 28.5% of infants, with E. coli as the predominant microorganism.
• Increased duration of rupture of membranes (ROM) was associated with higher NPCx, while Cesarean section (CS) decreased RCx.

Conclusions:

• Early nasopharyngeal colonization in sick neonates is dominated by SE and influenced by ROM and maternal GBS status.
• Rectal colonization is primarily E. coli and is reduced by CS.
• The early postnatal microbiota in sick neonates differs from that of healthy infants.