Link between gut microbiota and neonatal sepsis

Chien-Chung Lee; Cheng-Hsun Chiu

doi:10.1016/j.jfma.2023.09.019

Link between gut microbiota and neonatal sepsis

J Formos Med Assoc. 2023 Oct 9:S0929-6646(23)00398-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jfma.2023.09.019. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Chien-Chung Lee¹, Cheng-Hsun Chiu²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
² Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan. Electronic address: chchiu@adm.cgmh.org.tw.

PMID: 37821302
DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2023.09.019

Abstract

In neonates, the gastrointestinal tract is rapidly colonized by bacteria after birth. Gut microbiota development is critical during the first few years of life. However, disruption of gut microbiota development in neonates can lead to gut dysbiosis, characterized by overcolonization by pathogenic bacteria and delayed or failed maturation toward increasing microbial diversity and Fermicutes dominance. Gut dysbiosis can predispose infants to sepsis. Pathogenic bacteria can colonize the gut prior to sepsis and cause sepsis through translocation. This review explores gut microbiota development in neonates, the evidence linking gut dysbiosis to neonatal sepsis, and the potential role of probiotics in gut microbiota modulation and sepsis prevention.

Keywords: Bacterial translocation; Gut microbiota; Neonatal sepsis; Probiotics.

Publication types

Review