SynthesisMicrobiome2017
Intestinal dysbiosis in preterm infants preceding necrotizing enterocolitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Microbiome, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 429 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Alteration of Stool Microbiota in Preterm Infants Less Than 32 Weeks With Anemia, and Following Blood Transfusion
Assessing the Efficacy of Probiotics in Prevention of NEC in Preterm Babies
Who cites it
429 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 685 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nutritional management of neonates who undergo major surgery for gastrointestinal disorders: a joint position paper of the Italian Society of Neonatology (SIN), the Italian Society of Pediatric Surgery (SICP), and the Italian Society of Pediatric Nutrition (SINUPE).Italian journal of pediatrics · 2026Guideline
- Trends and hotspots in gut microbiota and neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis: a bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of melatonin for treatment and prevention of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis: a systematic review.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Gut microbiome alterations and their clinical and biological implications in ovarian cancer: a systematic review.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Pooled it
- Research focus and emerging trends of the gut microbiome and infant: a bibliometric analysis from 2004 to 2024.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Pooled it
- Growth and neuro-developmental outcomes of probiotic supplemented preterm infants-a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2023Pooled it
- Effect of early antibiotic exposure on necrotizing enterocolitis and growth in extremely preterm infants.Pediatric research · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Decoding the HMO‒microbiome axis: bridging maternal milk to infant health outcomes.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- Definitions of neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) in randomised controlled trials: a systematic review.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2026Review
- β3-Adrenergic Signaling Preserves Postnatal Maturation of the Enteric Nervous System and Gut Microbiome During Neonatal Hyperoxia.Biomolecules · 2026Article
- Antimicrobial-associated adverse events in neonates: an integrated literature review and FAERS pharmacovigilance analysis.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Review
- Probiotics and Risk of Death, Necrotizing Enterocolitis, and Sepsis in Very Preterm Infants.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Bifidobacterium modulates gut microbiota and aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling in necrotizing enterocolitis rat model.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Exploring the Early-Life Microbiomes of Preterm Infants and Their Childhood Health Outcomes (The BLOOM Study): Protocol for a Prospective, Observational Cohort Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Single-cell detection and quantification of the microbiota by MicFLY.Cell host & microbe · 2026Article
- Maternal and infant gut microbiome.iMeta · 2026Review
- From homeostasis to dysregulation: human milk, microbial metabolites, and the preterm intestinal microenvironment in necrotizing enterocolitis.Translational pediatrics · 2026Review
- Bridging Microbiota Science and Clinical Practice in Pediatric Healthcare: A National Survey.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Compact Gut Microbial Dysbiosis Signature Associated with Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Altered Early Microbiota Development.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
369 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 9 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNecrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a catastrophic disease of preterm infants, and microbial dysbiosis has been implicated in its pathogenesis. Studies evaluating the microbiome in NEC and preterm infants lack power and have reported inconsistent results. METHODS AND
resultsOur objectives were to perform a systematic review and meta-analyses of stool microbiome profiles in preterm infants to discern and describe microbial dysbiosis prior to the onset of NEC and to explore heterogeneity among studies. We searched MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, and conference abstracts from the proceedings of Pediatric Academic Societies and reference lists of relevant identified articles in April 2016. Studies comparing the intestinal microbiome in preterm infants who developed NEC to those of controls, using culture-independent molecular techniques and reported α and β-diversity metrics, and microbial profiles were included. In addition, 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) sequence data with clinical meta-data were requested from the authors of included studies or searched in public data repositories. We reprocessed the 16S rRNA sequence data through a uniform analysis pipeline, which were then synthesized by meta-analysis. We included 14 studies in this review, and data from eight studies were available for quantitative synthesis (106 NEC cases, 278 controls, 2944 samples). The age of NEC onset was at a mean ± SD of 30.1 ± 2.4 weeks post-conception (n = 61). Fecal microbiome from preterm infants with NEC had increased relative abundances of Proteobacteria and decreased relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes prior to NEC onset. Alpha- or beta-diversity indices in preterm infants with NEC were not consistently different from controls, but we found differences in taxonomic profiles related to antibiotic exposure, formula feeding, and mode of delivery. Exploring heterogeneity revealed differences in microbial profiles by study and the target region of the 16S rRNA gene (V1-V3 or V3-V5).
conclusionsMicrobial dysbiosis preceding NEC in preterm infants is characterized by increased relative abundances of Proteobacteria and decreased relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Microbiome optimization may provide a novel strategy for preventing NEC.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.