Premature infant

Today, I'm talking about probiotics.

so there was a very interesting article that came out in JAMA network open probiotic implementation and necrotizing enterocolitis risk in preterm infants first author is Dr. Imran and So this article starts by reminding us that probiotics may help prevent the development of necrotizing enterocolitis, NEC, by restoring microbial balance and suppressing pathogenic organism.

So far, everybody should be up to speed.

Now, the point here is that individual strains, they say, may have distinct functional properties, stimulating gut motility, enhancing mucosal barrier integrity, modulating the immune response, producing anti-inflammatory peptides, cytokines, short-chain fatty acids, and so on and so forth.

However, the heterogeneity in probiotic products has contributed to the inconsistent findings about their effectiveness, which is why strain specificity matters so much when we evaluate both effectiveness and safety.

Safety concerns, including rare cases of probiotic associated sepsis, which is what has prompted the slowdown of use of probiotics in the U.S. specifically after this FDA memorandum, have contributed to the cautious implementation around the world, the Espigan and the American Gastroenterological Association endorse specific strain, while others, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, advise caution specifically for babies that are less than 1,000 grams.

Since 2019, a combination of bifidobacterium infantis, bifidobacterium lactis, and streptococcus thermophilus have been available in Europe and documented effectiveness and safety in preterm infants.

And this study basically evaluates whether the neck incidence changes before and after the implementation in two Dutch NICUs.