ArticleNature microbiology2022
Strain-specific impacts of probiotics are a significant driver of gut microbiome development in very preterm infants.
Article in Nature microbiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 104 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
104 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 154 citations in OpenAlex.
- Probiotic-Driven Competitive Exclusion in the Human Gut: A Meta-Analysis of Microbial Diversity and Pathogen Suppression.Nutrients · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of Probiotics on Preterm Infant Gut Microbiota Across Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2024Pooled it
- Research focus and emerging trends of the gut microbiome and infant: a bibliometric analysis from 2004 to 2024.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Pooled it
- Synbiotic supplementation leads to gut microbiome communities with functional capacity linked to better brain white matter development in preterm infants.Gut microbes · 2026Trial
- Early gut microbiome composition of very preterm infants randomised to receive human milk volumes of 60 ml/kg/day or more within the first 36 hours after birth.Pediatric research · 2026Trial
- Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus Probiotics and Gut Dysbiosis in Preterm Infants: The PRIMAL Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA pediatrics · 2024Trial
- Impact of Extreme Prematurity, Chorioamnionitis, and Sepsis on Neonatal Monocyte Characteristics and Functions.Journal of innate immunity · 2024Trial
- Effect of an Exclusive Human Milk Diet on the Gut Microbiome in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2023Trial
- Nationwide cohort study reveals low bifidobacteria and distinct microbiota composition and function in Swedish newborns.Gut microbes · 2026Observational
- 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
- Epigenetic phase variation in the gut microbiome enhances bacterial adaptation.Cell host & microbe · 2026Article
- Synbiotic Confections Developed with Agave salmiana Fructans and Microencapsulated Probiotics Preserving High Viability.Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2026Article
- Gut microbiome in preterm infants with different weight gain outcomes.Gut microbiology · 2026Article
- From microbes to milestones: Gut bacterial abundances and functional pathways associate with neurodevelopment following preterm birth.Gut microbiology · 2026Article
- Impact of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics on maternal and fetal health: mechanisms, efficacy, and safety across pregnancy.Pediatric research · 2026Review
- Synergistic regulation of gut microbiota and metabolites by breast milk and probiotics in the prevention of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis: mechanisms and prospects.Translational pediatrics · 2026Review
- A Review of Probiotic Interventions for Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Sepsis in Preterm Infants.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- From One-Size-Fits-All to Precision Medicine: The Promise of Personalized Probiotics.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- Clostridia from preterm infants metabolize human milk oligosaccharides to suppress pathobionts and modulate intestinal function in organoids.Nature microbiology · 2026Article
44 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The development of the gut microbiome from birth plays important roles in short- and long-term health, but factors influencing preterm gut microbiome development are poorly understood. In the present study, we use metagenomic sequencing to analyse 1,431 longitudinal stool samples from 123 very preterm infants (<32 weeks' gestation) who did not develop intestinal disease or sepsis over a study period of 10 years. During the study period, one cohort had no probiotic exposure whereas two cohorts were given different probiotic products: Infloran (Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus acidophilus) or Labinic (B. bifidum, B. longum subsp. infantis and L. acidophilus). Mothers' own milk, breast milk fortifier, antibiotics and probiotics were significantly associated with the gut microbiome, with probiotics being the most significant factor. Probiotics drove microbiome transition into different preterm gut community types (PGCTs), each enriched in a different Bifidobacterium sp. and significantly associated with increased postnatal age. Functional analyses identified stool metabolites associated with PGCTs and, in preterm-derived organoids, sterile faecal supernatants impacted intestinal, organoid monolayer, gene expression in a PGCT-specific manner. The present study identifies specific influencers of gut microbiome development in very preterm infants, some of which overlap with those impacting term infants. The results highlight the importance of strain-specific differences in probiotic products and their impact on host interactions in the preterm gut.
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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.