Nutritional strategies and gut microbiota composition as risk factors for necrotizing enterocolitis in very-preterm infants. Issue 3 (28th June 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rozé, Jean-Christophe; Ancel, Pierre-Yves; Lepage, Patricia; Martin-Marchand, Laetitia; Al Nabhani, Ziad; Delannoy, Johanne; Picaud, Jean-Charles; Lapillonne, Alexandre; Aires, Julio; Durox, Mélanie; Darmaun, Dominique; Neu, Josef; Butel, Marie-José
• Is Part Of: American journal of clinical nutrition. Volume 106:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 821
• Page End: 830
• Publication Date: 2017-06-28
• Subjects: breastfeeding -- clostridia -- necrotizing enterocolitis -- preterm infant -- speed of increasing enteral nutrition; Diet therapy -- Periodicals; Nutrition -- Periodicals; Dietetics -- Periodicals; 613.205
• DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.117.152967
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0002-9165

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Background: The pathophysiology of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains poorly understood. Objective: We assessed the relation between feeding strategies, intestinal microbiota composition, and the development of NEC. Design: We performed a prospective nationwide population-based study, EPIPAGE 2 (Etude Epidémiologique sur les Petits Ages Gestationnels), including preterm infants born at <32 wk of gestation in France in 2011. From individual characteristics observed during the first week of life, we calculated a propensity score for the risk of NEC (Bell's stage 2 or 3) after day 7 of life. We analyzed the relation between neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) strategies concerning the rate of progression of enteral feeding, the direct-breastfeeding policy, and the onset of NEC using general linear mixed models to account for clustering by the NICU. An ancillary propensity-matched case-control study, EPIFLORE (Etude Epidémiologique de la flore), in 20 of the 64 NICUs, analyzed the intestinal microbiota by culture and 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Results: Among the 3161 enrolled preterm infants, 106 (3.4%; 95% CI: 2.8%, 4.0%) developed NEC. Individual characteristics were significantly associated with NEC. Slower and intermediate rates of progression of enteral feeding strategies were associated with a higher risk of NEC, with an adjusted OR of 2.3 (95% CI: 1.2, 4.5; P = 0.01) and 2.0 (95% CI: 1.1, 3.5; P = 0.02), respectively. Less favorable and intermediate direct-breastfeeding policies were associated with higher NEC risk as well, with an adjusted OR of 2.5 (95% CI: 1.1, 5.8; P = 0.03) and 2.3 (95% CI: 1.1, 4.8; P = 0.02), respectively. Microbiota analysis performed in 16 cases and 78 controls showed an association between Clostridium neonatale and Staphylococcus aureus with NEC ( P = 0.001 and P = 0.002). Conclusions: A slow rate of progression of enteral feeding and a less favorable direct-breastfeeding policy are associated with an increased risk of developing NEC. For a given level of risk assessed by propensity score, colonization by C. neonatale and/or S. aureus is significantly associated with NEC. This trial (EPIFLORE study) was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01127698.