Long-term Follow-up of Preterm Infants Having Been Colonized With Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamase-producing...

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Medicine
• Pediatric Infectious Diseases
• Microbiology

Background:

• Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacterales colonization is a concern in neonatal intensive care units.
• The long-term impact of such colonization on preterm infants' health and development is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between ESBL-producing Enterobacterales colonization in preterm infants and subsequent rates of hospitalization, outpatient visits for infectious and gastrointestinal diseases, and developmental impairment.
• To compare outcomes up to school age between colonized preterm infants and matched controls.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case-control cohort study.
• Inclusion of 146 preterm infants (≤32 weeks gestation) colonized with ESBL-producing Enterobacterales.
• 1:1 matching with control infants based on relevant factors.
• Follow-up to school age assessing disease rates and developmental outcomes.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in hospitalization or outpatient visit rates for infectious diseases between colonized and control preterm infants.
• No significant difference in gastrointestinal disease rates between the two groups.
• No increased risk of developmental impairment up to age six in preterm infants with ESBL-producing Enterobacterales colonization.

Conclusions:

• Colonization with ESBL-producing Enterobacterales in preterm infants does not appear to lead to higher rates of infectious or gastrointestinal diseases.
• Long-term developmental outcomes up to school age are not adversely affected by this type of colonization.
• Findings suggest that while colonization warrants monitoring, it may not predict significant long-term health or developmental deficits.