Department of Pediatrics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.
Turk J Pediatr. 2021;63(2):206-217. doi: 10.24953/turkjped.2021.02.004.
Feeding intolerance (FI) is a common complication that may cause great harm to preterm infants. The mechanism of FI remains unclear, but probiotics may help prevent and alleviate its symptoms. We hypothesized that the alteration in gut microbiota may be associated with the development of FI. Our study aimed to investigate the association between gut microbiota and FI in preterm infants.
Ninety-seven preterm infants were divided into the FI group (N=42) and the feeding tolerance (FT) group (N=55) depending on whether the infants were diagnosed with FI. The fecal samples of each infant were collected on the 7th day after birth. Fecal microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Plasma motilin were detected on day-1, 7, 14, and 21.
The microbial diversity of the FI group was significantly lower than that of the FT group. The abundance levels of phylum Proteobacteria, class Gammaproteobacteria, genera such as Escherichia/Shigella were higher in the FI group than in the FT group. The abundance levels of phylum Firmicutes, class Negativicutes, and genus Veillonella were higher in the FT group than in the FI group. The motilin levels on days 7 and 14 were negatively correlated with the FI-enriched genera Planomicrobium and Vibrio, respectively. Our study also found gut microbiota was correlated with FI clinical characteristics, including gestational age, birth weight, age of FI diagnosis, age of FI disappearance, and FI duration.
Altered gut microbiota is associated with FI in preterm infants. FI cases typically have lower microbial diversity, a decreased abundance of beneficial bacteria, and an increased abundance of pathogenic bacteria. Gut microbiota is correlated with the clinical characteristics of FI. The decrease in motilin secretion caused by some bacteria may lead to the occurrence of FI.
喂养不耐受（FI）是一种常见的并发症，可能对早产儿造成严重危害。FI 的发病机制尚不清楚，但益生菌可能有助于预防和缓解其症状。我们假设肠道微生物群的改变可能与 FI 的发生有关。本研究旨在探讨早产儿肠道微生物群与 FI 的关系。
根据早产儿是否诊断为 FI，将 97 例早产儿分为 FI 组（N=42）和喂养耐受（FT）组（N=55）。于生后第 7 天行粪便标本采集，采用 16S rRNA 测序分析粪便微生物群。于生后第-1、7、14、21 天检测血浆胃动素。
FI 组的微生物多样性明显低于 FT 组。FI 组厚壁菌门、γ-变形菌纲、大肠埃希菌/志贺菌属等丰度较高，而 FT 组拟杆菌门、梭杆菌纲、韦荣球菌属等丰度较高。FI 组患儿第 7、14 天的胃动素水平与 FI 富集菌普雷沃氏菌属和弧菌属呈负相关。本研究还发现，肠道微生物群与 FI 的临床特征有关，包括胎龄、出生体重、FI 诊断年龄、FI 消失年龄和 FI 持续时间。
早产儿 FI 与肠道微生物群改变有关。FI 病例通常具有较低的微生物多样性、有益菌丰度降低和致病菌丰度增加。肠道微生物群与 FI 的临床特征相关。某些细菌引起的胃动素分泌减少可能导致 FI 的发生。
