The Neonatal Microbiome

Abstract

Nursing care of the neonate in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is complex, due in large part to various physiological challenges. A newer and less well-known physiological consideration is the neonatal microbiome, the community of microorganisms, both helpful and harmful, that inhabit the human body. The neonatal microbiome is influenced by the maternal microbiome, mode of infant birth, and various aspects of NICU care such as feeding choice and use of antibiotics. The composition and diversity of the microbiome is thought to influence key health outcomes including development of necrotizing enterocolitis, late-onset sepsis, altered physical growth, and poor neurodevelopment. Nurses in the NICU play a key role in managing care that can positively influence the microbiome to promote more optimal health outcomes in this vulnerable population of newborns.

Development and Function of the Intestinal Microbiome and Potential Implications for Pig Production

“…Antibiotics are commonly used for the control of pathogenic bacteria. However, they are non-specific and have the potential to perturb beneficial commensal bacteria in the GIT and elsewhere [49,50]. In humans, when administered during the early postnatal period and while the initial microbial establishment is occurring, these disruptions can lead to overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria and to long-term health problems such as asthma, necrotising enterocolitis, and late-onset sepsis [5,49,51].…”

“…In recent times, the importance of populating a healthy microbiome has become increasingly evident. As a result, a multitude of reviews surrounding the use of antibiotics on the microbiome have been conducted [26,46,49,50]. What can be taken collectively from these reviews is that microbial disruption during the perinatal period has detrimental effects on microbial establishment and metabolism, which often leads to long-term health problems.…”

“…Additionally, the stressor also increased circulating levels of IL-6 and MCP-1, which correlates with changes in three bacteria genera Coprococcus , Pseudobutyrivibrio , and Dorea . Additional studies have also demonstrated that chronic stress affects the abundance and diversity of the GIT microbiota, which have long-term effects on the immune system [26,49,54].…”

“…Probiotics are defined as cultures of potentially beneficial bacteria of healthy gut microflora that are administered to colonise the large intestine and modify the composition of the microbiota [86,87]. To date, several reviews have investigated the effect of using both prebiotics and probiotics in treating human and animal disease [49,50,77].…”

Effect of Feeding Fresh or Frozen Breast Milk on the Gut Microbiota of Premature Infants: A Prospective Observational Study

“…It is important for neonatal nurses to know the factors that affect the development of microbiota in the newborn, such as nutrition and their role in diseases, from the time of newborn’s admission to the NICU. There are some important care methods that neonatal nurses can apply for the development of an optimal microbiota, and feeding fresh breast milk to infants is one of them (Rodriguez et al, 2017).…”