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Published on: January 27, 2019
Longitudinal observational study protocol - Preterm Infants: Microbiome Establishment, Neuro-CrossTalk and Origins
David Healy1,2, Shuo Wang3, Ghjuvan Grimaud4
1APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland david.healy@ucc.ie.
Insights
This study tracks microbiome changes in very preterm infants during neonatal intensive care. Understanding these shifts helps identify risks for infant health conditions like sepsis.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal microbiome research
- Infant gut health
- Microbiome and preterm infant development
Background:
- Very preterm infants (<32 weeks gestation) exhibit abnormal gut microbiome colonization.
- Factors influencing infant microbiome include gestational age, delivery mode, antibiotics, and feeding practices.
- Microbiome alterations are linked to serious infant conditions such as necrotizing enterocolitis and sepsis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail microbiome alterations in very preterm infants during neonatal intensive care.
- To investigate the impact of clinical management practices on infant gut microbial composition.
- To correlate microbiome changes with key neonatal interventions like antibiotic use, feeding advancements, and probiotic administration.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal observational study was conducted at a single site.
- Maternal samples (perinatal), breast milk, and infant samples (admission to discharge) were collected.
- Infants born before 32 weeks gestation were included in the study.
Main Results:
- Detailed microbiome changes were observed throughout the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay.
- Specific management practices were associated with distinct microbial shifts.
- Further analysis is ongoing to correlate these findings with infant health outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The neonatal intensive care unit environment significantly shapes the preterm infant microbiome.
- Understanding these dynamic changes is crucial for optimizing infant care and preventing disease.
- This research provides a foundation for targeted microbiome-based interventions in preterm neonates.
Introduction:
Very preterm infants are at risk of abnormal microbiome colonisation in the first weeks to months of life. Several important associated factors have been identified including gestational age, mode of delivery, antibiotic exposure and feeding. Preterm infants are at risk of a number of pathologies for which the microbiome may play a central role, including necrotising enterocolitis and sepsis. The objective of this study is to determine detailed microbiome changes that occur around implementation of different management practices including empiric antibiotic use, advancement of feeds and administration of probiotics during admission to the neonatal intensive care unit.
Methods And Analysis:
A single-site, longitudinal observational study of infants born less than 32 weeks gestation, including collection of maternal samples around delivery and breastmilk and infant samples from admission through discharge from the neonatal unit.
Ethics And Dissemination:
The protocol was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Cork Teaching Hospitals.The findings from this study will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals, during scientific conferences, and directly to the study participants. Sequencing data will be deposited in public databases.
Trial Registration Number:
NCT05803577.
