Bacterial metabolite patterns of infants receiving multi-strain probiotics and risk of late-onset sepsis
The effect of multi-strain probiotics containing Bifidobacterium longum (B. longum) on late-onset sepsis (LOS) risk in very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBWIs; birth weight < 1,500 g) remains uncertain. In a single-center study, we analyzed intestinal metagenome and metabolome data in VLBWIs during the period of highest vulnerability of LOS. Using a unit's policy change to routinely administer B. longum subspecies infantis plus Lactobacillus acidophilus as natural experiment, we compared 97 infants (including 38 LOS cases) after change with 78 infants (including 32 LOS cases) before. Probiotic supplementation was associated with more beneficial bacteria and reduced abundance of nosocomial pathobionts, such as Klebsiella spp. Infants in the probiotic group had significantly lower concentrations of B. longum fermentation products prior to sepsis diagnosis than matched non-LOS cases (acetate: p<sub>adj</sub> = 0.0049; lactate: p<sub>adj</sub> = 0.048). Modulation of the gut metabolic milieu is an interesting target for LOS prevention.
Authors
- Fumi Sugihara
- Sven Künzel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4992-5963)
- John F. Baines (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8132-4909)
- Janina Marißen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1779-3508)
- Wolfgang Göpel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6486-4727)
- Karsten Seeger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9885-0315)
- Silvio Waschina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6290-3593)
- Kirstin Faust (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5623-4015)
- Felix Sommer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6545-3487)
- Julia Pagel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8427-0213)
- Mats Ingmar Fortmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1676-8340)
- Egbert Herting (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7189-879X)
- Jan Rupp (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8722-1233)
- Sören Franzenburg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6374-4910)
- Christoph Härtel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2181-7322)
- Christoph Kaleta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8004-9514)
- Malte Rühlemann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0685-0052)
- Martin Demmert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7552-3736)
- Elisa Pasderski
- Sina Froitzheim
Institutions
- University of Würzburg (DE)
- Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (DE)
- Universitätsklinikum Würzburg (DE)
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology (DE)
- University of Lübeck (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cell Reports
- Published
- 2025-10-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116431
- Primary Topic
- Infant Nutrition and Health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00