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Objective: The fecal microbiota and metabolome are hypothesized to be altered before late-onset neonatal meningitis (LOM), in analogy to late-onset sepsis (LOS). The present study aimed to identify fecal microbiota composition and volatile metabolomics preceding LOM., Methods: Cases and gestational age-matched controls were selected from a prospective, longitudinal preterm cohort study (born <30 weeks' gestation) at nine neonatal intensive care units. The microbial composition (16S rRNA sequencing) and volatile metabolome (gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) and GC-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS)), were analyzed in fecal samples 1-10 days pre-LOM., Results: Of 1397 included infants, 21 were diagnosed with LOM (1.5%), and 19 with concomitant LOS (90%). Random Forest classification and MaAsLin2 analysis found similar microbiota features contribute to the discrimination of fecal pre-LOM samples versus controls. A Random Forest model based on six microbiota features accurately predicts LOM 1-3 days before diagnosis with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.88 (n=147). Pattern recognition analysis by GC-IMS revealed an AUC of 0.70-0.76 (P<0.05) in the three days pre-LOM (n=92). No single discriminative metabolites were identified by GC-TOF-MS (n=66)., Conclusion: Infants with LOM could be accurately discriminated from controls based on preclinical microbiota composition, while alterations in the volatile metabolome were moderately associated with preclinical LOM., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. Early recognition and treatment of NEC are critical to improving outcomes. Enteric nervous system (ENS) immaturity has been proposed as a key factor in NEC pathophysiology. Gastrointestinal dysmotility is associated with ENS immaturity and may serve as a predictive factor for the development of NEC. In this case-control study, preterm infants (gestational age (GA) < 30 weeks) were included in two level-IV neonatal intensive care units. Infants with NEC in the first month of life were 1:3 matched to controls based on GA (± 3 days). Odds ratios for NEC development were analyzed by logistic regression for time to first passage of meconium (TFPM), duration of meconial stool, and mean daily defecation frequency over the 72 h preceding clinical NEC onset (DF < T0). A total of 39 NEC cases and 117 matched controls (median GA 27 + 4 weeks) were included. Median TFPM was comparable in cases and controls (36 h [IQR 13-65] vs. 30 h [IQR 9-66], p = 0.83). In 21% of both cases and controls, TFPM was ≥ 72 h (p = 0.87). Duration of meconial stool and DF < T0 were comparable in the NEC and control group (median 4 and 3, resp. in both groups). Odds of NEC were not significantly associated with TFPM, duration of meconial stools, and DF < T0 (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.00 [0.99-1.03], 1.16 [0.86-1.55] and 0.97 [0.72-1.31], resp.)., Conclusion: In this cohort, no association was found between TFPM, duration of meconium stool, and DF < T0 and the development of NEC., What Is Known: • Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening acute intestinal inflammatory disease of the young preterm infant. Early clinical risk factors for NEC have been investigated in order to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment. • Signs of disrupted gastrointestinal mobility, such as gastric retention and paralytic ileus, have been established to support the diagnosis of NEC. Nevertheless, defecation patterns have insufficiently been studied in relation to the disease., What Is New: • Defecation patterns in the three days preceding NEC did not differ from gestational age-matched controls of corresponding postnatal age. Additionally, the first passage of meconium and the duration of meconium passage were comparable between cases and controls. Currently, defecation patterns are not useful as early warning signs for NEC. It remains to be elucidated whether these parameters are different based on the location of intestinal necrosis., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Over 90% of preterm neonates are, often empirically, exposed to antibiotics as a potentially life-saving measure against sepsis. Long-term outcome in association with antibiotic exposure (NABE) has insufficiently been studied after preterm birth. We investigated the association of NABE-duration with early-childhood developmental and health outcomes in preterm-born children and additionally assessed the impact of GA on outcomes. Preterm children (GA < 30 weeks) participating in a multicenter cohort study were approached for follow-up. General expert-reviewed health questionnaires on respiratory, atopic and gastrointestinal symptoms were sent to parents of children > 24 months' corrected age (CA). Growth and developmental assessments (Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID) III) were part of standard care assessment at 24 months' CA. Uni- and multivariate regressions were performed with NABE (per 5 days) and GA (per week) as independent variables. Odds ratios (OR) for health outcomes were adjusted (aOR) for confounders, where appropriate. Of 1079 infants whose parents were approached, 347 (32%) responded at a mean age of 4.6 years (SD 0.9). In children with NABE (97%), NABE duration decreased by 1.6 days ( p < 0.001) per week of gestation. Below-average gross-motor development (BSID-III gross-motor score < 8) was associated with duration of NABE (aOR = 1.28; p = 0.04). The aOR for constipation was 0.81 ( p = 0.04) per gestational week. Growth was inversely correlated with GA. Respiratory and atopic symptoms were not associated with NABE, nor GA. We observed that prolonged NABE after preterm birth was associated with below-average gross-motor development at 24 months' CA, while a low GA was associated with lower weight and stature Z-scores and higher odds for constipation.

Early detection of late-onset sepsis (LOS) in preterm infants is crucial since timely treatment initiation is a key prognostic factor. We hypothesized that fecal volatile organic compounds (VOCs), reflecting microbiota composition and function, could serve as a non-invasive biomarker for preclinical pathogen-specific LOS detection. Fecal samples and clinical data of all preterm infants (≤30 weeks' gestation) admitted at nine neonatal intensive care units in the Netherlands and Belgium were collected daily. Samples from one to three days before LOS onset were analyzed by gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), a technique based on pattern recognition, and gas chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS), to identify unique metabolites. Fecal VOC profiles and metabolites from infants with LOS were compared with matched controls. Samples from 121 LOS infants and 121 matched controls were analyzed using GC-IMS, and from 34 LOS infants and 34 matched controls using GC-TOF-MS. Differences in fecal VOCs were most profound one and two days preceding Escherichia coli LOS (Area Under Curve; p -value: 0.73; p = 0.02, 0.83; p < 0.002, respectively) and two and three days before gram-negative LOS (0.81; p < 0.001, 0.85; p < 0.001, respectively). GC-TOF-MS identified pathogen-specific discriminative metabolites for LOS. This study underlines the potential for VOCs as a non-invasive preclinical diagnostic LOS biomarker.

The threshold to initiate empiric antibiotics for suspicion of early-onset sepsis (EOS) is low in preterm infants. Antibiotics' effects on short-term outcomes have recently been debated. We aimed at exploring the extent of early empiric antibiotic exposure (EEAE) in preterm infants and the association between the duration of EEAE with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and late-onset sepsis (LOS) within different EEAE groups. EEAE practice for suspicion of EOS was evaluated in all included infants (gestational age < 30 weeks) born in 9 centers in the Netherlands and Belgium between Oct. 2014 and Jan. 2019. EEAE association with NEC and LOS development was analyzed by multivariate regression. After excluding 56 EOS cases, 1259 infants were included. A total of 1122 infants (89.1%) were exposed to empirical antibiotics for the suspicion of EOS of whom 802 (63.7%) had short (≤ 72 h) and 320 (25.4%) prolonged EEAE (> 72 h). Infants with EEAE ≤ 72 h had a lower incidence of NEC compared to both infants without EEAE (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.39; 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.19-0.80]; p = 0.01) and with prolonged EEAE (> 72 h) (aOR [95%CI]: 0.58 [0.35-0.96]; p = 0.03). With every additional day of EEAE, LOS incidence decreased (aOR [95%CI]: 0.90 [0.85-0.97]; p = 0.003)., Conclusion: Almost 90% of preterm infants who have negative blood culture results in the first 72 h of life are exposed to EEAE under suspicion of EOS. One-fourth has prolonged EEAE. Duration of EEAE was differently associated with NEC and LOS incidence. The effects of antibiotics, and potentially induced microbial dysbiosis related to development of NEC and LOS, should further be explored., What Is Known: • Preterm infants often receive antibiotics empirically directly after birth for suspicion of early-onset sepsis. • The effects of the duration of early empirical antibiotic exposure on the risk for necrotizing enterocolitis and late-onset sepsis are debated., What Is New: • Almost 90% of preterm infants with a gestational age below 30 weeks are exposed to antibiotics empirically after birth despite negative culture results. In a quarter of these culture-negative infants, empirical antibiotics are prolonged. • A short course of empirical antibiotics (≤72h) is associated with decreased odds for necrotizing enterocolitis compared to both prolonged (>72h) or no empirical antibiotics after birth. Furthermore, every additional day of empirical antibiotic exposure is associated with decreased risk for late-onset sepsis in the first month of life., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Fecal volatile organic compounds (VOC) reflect human and gut microbiota metabolic pathways and their interaction. VOC behold potential as non-invasive preclinical diagnostic biomarkers in various diseases, e.g., necrotizing enterocolitis and late onset sepsis. There is a need for standardization and assessment of the influence of clinical and environmental factors on the VOC outcome before this technique can be applied in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of gestational age (GA) and mode of delivery on the fecal VOC pattern in preterm infants born below 30 weeks of gestation. Longitudinal fecal samples, collected on days 7, 14, and 21 postnatally, were analyzed by an electronic nose device (Cyranose 320 ® ). In total, 58 preterm infants were included (29 infants born at GA 24-26 weeks vs. 29 at 27-29 completed weeks, 24 vaginally born vs. 34 via C-section). No differences were identified at any predefined time point in terms of GA and delivery mode ( p > 0.05). We, therefore, concluded that correction for these factors in this population is not warranted when performing fecal VOC analysis in the first three weeks of life., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.