The intestinal microbiome in preterm infants differs markedly from term infants. It is unclear whether the microbiome develops over time according to infant specific factors. We analysed (clinical) metadata - to identify the main factors influencing the microbiome composition development - and the first meconium and faecal samples til the 4th week via 16 S rRNA amplican sequencing. We included 41 infants (gestational age 25–30 weeks; birth weight 430-990 g. Birth via Caesarean section (CS) was associated with placental insufficiency during pregnancy and lower BW. In meconium samples and in samples from weeks 2 and 3 the abundance of Escherichia and Bacteroides (maternal faecal representatives) were associated with vaginal delivery while Staphylococcus (skin microbiome representative) was associated with CS. Secondly, irrespective of the week of sampling or the mode of birth, a transition was observed as children children gradually increased in weight from a microbiome dominated by Staphylococcus (Bacilli) towards a microbiome dominated by Enterobacteriaceae (Gammaproteobacteria). Our data show that the mode of delivery affects the meconium microbiome composition. They also suggest that the weight of the infant at the time of sampling is a better predictor for the stage of progression of the intestinal microbiome development/maturation than postconceptional age as it less confounded by various infant-specific factors.

中文翻译：

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体重影响早产儿肠道微生物组：一项前瞻性观察研究的结果

早产儿的肠道微生物组与足月儿明显不同。目前尚不清楚微生物组是否会根据婴儿的特定因素随着时间的推移而发展。我们分析了（临床）元数据——以确定影响微生物组组成发展的主要因素——以及第 4 周前的第一批胎粪和粪便样本，通过 16 S rRNA 扩增子测序。我们纳入了 41 名婴儿（胎龄 25-30 周；出生体重 430-990 克。剖腹产 (CS) 出生与怀孕期间胎盘功能不全和体重降低有关。在胎粪样本以及第 2 周和第 3 周的样本中，丰度大肠杆菌和拟杆菌（母体粪便代表）与阴道分娩有关，而葡萄球菌（皮肤微生物组代表）与 CS 相关。其次，无论取样周或出生方式如何，观察到儿童体重逐渐增加，从以葡萄球菌（杆菌）为主的微生物组向以肠杆菌科（Gammaproteobacteria）为主的微生物组转变。我们的数据表明，分娩方式会影响胎粪微生物组的组成。他们还表明，取样时婴儿的体重比受孕后年龄更能预测肠道微生物群发育/成熟的进展阶段，因为它较少受到各种婴儿特异性因素的混淆。我们的数据表明，分娩方式会影响胎粪微生物组的组成。他们还表明，取样时婴儿的体重比受孕后年龄更能预测肠道微生物群发育/成熟的进展阶段，因为它较少受到各种婴儿特异性因素的混淆。我们的数据表明，分娩方式会影响胎粪微生物组的组成。他们还表明，取样时婴儿的体重比受孕后年龄更能预测肠道微生物群发育/成熟的进展阶段，因为它较少受到各种婴儿特异性因素的混淆。