Beneficial Effects of Limosilactobacillus fermentum CECT 5716 Administration to Infants Delivered by Cesarean Section

Abstract

Cesarean section (CS) disrupts the natural microbiota colonization process in infants, which might compromise immune system maturation, leading to a higher risk of infections. We evaluated the effect of the probiotic Limosilactobacillus (L.) fermentum CECT 5716 on the incidence of gastrointestinal and respiratory infections in the CS infant subgroups (n = 173) of three randomized clinical trials in which this probiotic strain was demonstrated to be safe and effective for preventing infections. Therefore, the data for the CS infants were extracted to obtain the incidence rate ratio (IRR) and 95% CI for gastrointestinal and respiratory infections for each study and were then combined to obtain a pooled IRR and 95% CI using the generic inverse variance method. There was a significant reduction of 73% in the incidence of gastrointestinal infections in CS infants receiving L. fermentum CECT 5716 compared with those receiving the control formula [n = 173, IRR: 0.27 (0.13, 0.53), p = 0.0002]. Regarding respiratory infections, although pooled results showed a reduction of 14% in the probiotic group, the difference was not statistically significant [n = 173, IRR (95% CI): 0.86 (0.67, 1.11), p = 0.25]. In conclusion, the administration of L. fermentum CECT 5716 to CS-born infants protects them from gastrointestinal infections by reducing the risk by up to 73% in this population.

Limosilactobacillus fermentum CECT5716: Clinical Potential of a Probiotic Strain Isolated from Human Milk

“…In addition, the effects observed in these three study cohorts were specifically analysed for those infants delivered by caesarean section. The results revealed a statistically significant reduction (73%) in gastrointestinal infections in infants born by caesarean section who received L. fermentum CECT5716 [112]. As subgroup analyses of intervention studies in infants have shown stronger effects in infants born by caesarean section, further studies focussing on these infants will give valuable insights for this specific group.…”

Host microbiome-pathogen interactions in pediatric infections

“…Unfortunately, treatment of children with this diagnosis with a probiotic containing Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus helveticus did not decrease illness severity compared with placebo, with subsequent analyses revealing only the transient presence of probiotic species in the guts of probiotic recipients and no changes in gut microbiome community structure compared to children receiving placebo [32,33]. Finally, a recent meta-analysis of three trials of Limosilactobacillus fermentum CECT 5716 suggested that supplementation may be associated with an up to 73% decreased risk of gastrointestinal infections among term infants delivered by Cesarean section [34]. These studies indicate that the infant gut microbiome is more malleable to probiotics than the gut microbiomes of older children and adults and that these products could play a growing role in preventing childhood infections.…”