Late-onset sepsis treatment in very preterm infants alters longitudinal microbiome trajectory with lower abundance of Bifidobacterium despite probiotic supplementation

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dc.contributor.authorHealy, David Brianen
dc.contributor.authorWang, Shuoen
dc.contributor.authorPatangia, Dhratien
dc.contributor.authorGrimaud, Ghjuvanen
dc.contributor.authorRoss, R. Paulen
dc.contributor.authorStanton, Catherineen
dc.contributor.authorDempsey, Eugene Michaelen
dc.contributor.funderScience Foundation Irelanden
dc.date.accessioned2025-07-17T14:43:59Z
dc.date.available2025-07-17T14:43:59Z
dc.date.issued2025-07-06en
dc.description.abstractIntroduction: Taxonomic instability within the dynamic gut microbiome of very preterm infants can be associated with various adverse outcomes. This longitudinal study was designed to follow the trajectory of microbiome composition and abundance in a cohort of probiotic supplemented very preterm infants with and without sepsis. Methods: Stool samples (n = 180) from probiotic-supplemented participants with culture-positive sepsis (n = 8) and matched healthy controls (n = 10) were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing. Calculation of total copy number per gram (TCN/g) by DNA spiking provided estimates of total microbial load. Results: TCN/g was significantly different between infants with and without sepsis, the latter having more rapid increase and overall higher TCN/g. In adjusted analysis, sepsis was associated with a significant abundance of Escherichia-Shigella (p = 0.02) and Veillonella (p = 0.01). Microbial load and composition appeared to fluctuate following antibiotic administration. Analysis of pre-sepsis samples showed a non-significant trend toward lower Bifidobacterium abundance and higher Escherichia-Shigella abundance in infants with subsequent sepsis. Antibiotic administration was independently associated with significantly lower (on average 250-fold lower) Bifidobacterium (p = 0.005) abundance, which remained significant after adjustment for confounders. Conclusions: Estimation of absolute abundance reveals fluctuations and blooms in key genera within the gut microbiome of very preterm infants that may not be recognized using relative abundance alone. Very preterm neonates with sepsis have a significantly different longitudinal trajectory of microbiome development, which may, in part, extend to lower Bifidobacterium and higher Escherichia-Shigella abundance prior to the onset of sepsis. Bifidobacterium abundance appears to be particularly affected by antibiotic administration compared to other genera.en
dc.description.sponsorshipScience Foundation Ireland (SFI/12/RC/2273)en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionPublished Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleid2523808en
dc.identifier.citationHealy, D. B., Wang, S., Patangia, D., Grimaud, G., Ross, R. P., Stanton, C. and Dempsey, E. M. (2025) 'Late-onset sepsis treatment in very preterm infants alters longitudinal microbiome trajectory with lower abundance of Bifidobacterium despite probiotic supplementation', Gut Microbes, 17(1), 2523808 (16pp). https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2025.2523808en
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/19490976.2025.2523808en
dc.identifier.issn19490976en
dc.identifier.issued1
dc.identifier.journaltitleGut Microbesen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/17728
dc.identifier.volume17
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherTaylor and Francis Ltd.en
dc.relation.projectSFI/12/RC/2273
dc.rights© 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the AcceptedManuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.en
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectAbsolute abundanceen
dc.subjectAntibioticsen
dc.subjectBifidobacteriumen
dc.subjectMicrobial loaden
dc.subjectMicrobiomeen
dc.subjectPrematurityen
dc.titleLate-onset sepsis treatment in very preterm infants alters longitudinal microbiome trajectory with lower abundance of Bifidobacterium despite probiotic supplementationen
dc.typeArticle (peer reviewed)en
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