Gut microbiota in preterm infants with late-onset sepsis and pneumonia: a pilot case-control study

Background Late-onset sepsis (LOS) and pneumonia are common infectious diseases, with high morbidity and mortality in neonates.

This study aimed to investigate the differences in the gut microbiota among preterm infants with LOS, or pneumonia, and full-term infants.

Furthermore, this study aimed to determine whether there is a correlation between intestinal pathogenic colonization and LOS.

Methods In a single-center case‒control study, 16 S rRNA gene sequencing technology was used to compare gut microbiota characteristics and differences among the LOS group, pneumonia group, and control group.

Results Our study revealed that the gut microbiota in the control group was more diverse than that in the LOS group and pneumonia group ( P  < 0.05).

No significant differences in diversity were detected between the LOS and pneumonia groups ( P >  0.05).

Compared with the control group, the abundances of Akkermansia , Escherichia/Shigella , and Enterococcus increased, while the abundances of Bacteroides and Stenotrophomonas decreased in the LOS and pneumonia groups.

The pathogenic bacteria in infants with LOS were consistent with the distribution of the main bacteria in the intestinal microbiota.

An increase in Escherichia/Shigella abundance may predict a high risk of LOS occurrence, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.773.

Conclusion Changes in the gut microbiota composition were associated with an increased risk of LOS and pneumonia.

The dominant bacteria in the gut microbiota of the LOS group were found to be associated with the causative pathogen of LOS.

Moreover, preterm infants exhibiting an elevated abundance of Escherichia/Shigella may be considered potential candidates for predicting the onset of LOS.