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Updated: May 16, 2025
Probiotic Studies in Neonatal Mice Using Gavage
Published on: January 27, 2019
A neonate with meningitis caused by probiotic-related Clostridium butyricum
Yanfang Jiang1, Jiaxu Yang2, Yong Liu1
1Genetic Diagnosis Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China.
Objectives:
Clostridium butyricum (C. butyricum), a normal gut bacterium in humans, is commonly used as a probiotic. We described a 26-day-old premature neonate who was diagnosed with probiotic-related C. butyricum meningitis.
Design:
Upon the admission, suppurative meningitis was considered based on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biochemical test and neuroimaging examination, and C. butyricum was subsequently identified by CSF metagenomic next-generation sequencing. Given the history of administrating living C. butyricum products before admission, probiotics-associated suppurative meningitis was considered a high possibility, leading to the confirmation of anti-infection treatment including vancomycin and meropenem.
Results:
Following this therapy, the infant's CSF profiles demonstrated improvement. Additionally, further phylogenetic analysis confirmed the high homologous of C. butyricum from CSF with probiotics.
Conclusions:
This is the first report of C. butyricum infection in neonates, highlighting the importance for prudence in administrating probiotics for neonates, particularly in high-risk groups such as preterm infants, those with central venous catheters and intestinal diseases.
