Carole Ayoub Moubareck
Zayed University, United Arab Emirates
Title: Exploring the gut microbiota of Lebanese preterm infants with or without necrotizing enterocolitis
Biography
Biography: Carole Ayoub Moubareck
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating inflammatory disease which primarily affects preterm infants (PTI). Although its exact etiology remains unknown, gut bacterial colonization is recognized to play a pivotal role in its development. In this study, we hypothesized that differences in bacterial colonization exist between Lebanese PTI with and without NEC.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: A total of 11 PTI developing NEC was selected from three Lebanese neonatal intensive care units and matched with 11 controls. Three time intervals were defined: (a) before NEC; (b) most proximate to NEC; and (c) after NEC onset. Fecal samples were analyzed by q-PCR and TTGE.
Findings: By qPCR, all infants were colonized by Staphylococci and Enterococci with significant differences in colonization before NEC onset. Higher colonization levels by Staphylococci (p=0.034) and lower colonization levels by Enterococci (p=0.039) and Lactobacilli (p=0.048) in the NEC group were noticed indeed. Almost all infants were colonized by Enterobacteriacae at high levels with a trend to higher frequency of colonization in NEC PTI during and after NEC onset. Bacteroïdes and all Clostridia (except cluster I) were strongly underrepresented in both groups. Furthermore, throughout the sampling period, comparison of stool samples by TTGE revealed no particular clusterisation suggesting a high inter-individual variability.
Conclusion & Significance: This study did not incriminate a unique causative pathogen but suggested that NEC resulted in part from a perturbation of the intestinal microbiota. It described an abnormal gut microbiota profile in NEC PTI that included high levels of colonization by Staphylococci and low levels of colonization by Enterococci and Lactobacilli. This understanding in NEC etiology might be translated into better prophylactic interventions including the use of pre and/or probiotics in order to reduce the incidence and severity of NEC.