ReviewCureus2025
Effect of Probiotic Supplementation in Preventing Necrotizing Enterocolitis Sepsis and Mortality Among Preterm and Very Low Birth Weight Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- PROTECT-Preterm: emulating target trials of dynamic probiotic strategies for necrotising enterocolitis, late-onset sepsis and mortality in very preterm infants - a study protocol.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Article
- Early-life intervention withFrontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Mechanisms by which tryptophan metabolites enhance intestinal barrier function to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Preterm and very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are highly vulnerable to gastrointestinal and systemic complications due to immature gut barriers, dysbiosis, and underdeveloped immunity, with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and late-onset sepsis contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality. Probiotic supplementation has been proposed as a strategy to restore gut microbial balance, enhance gastrointestinal maturation, and reduce disease risk. This study systematically reviews the impact of probiotics on NEC, sepsis, mortality, feeding tolerance, hospitalization, and related physiological outcomes in preterm and VLBW infants. Studies were identified through databases in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, including those that examined probiotic interventions in preterm or VLBW populations. Primary outcomes assessed were NEC, sepsis, and mortality, while secondary outcomes included feeding tolerance, hospital stay, and inflammatory or metabolic markers. Data were extracted and synthesized narratively to evaluate clinical trends and strain-specific efficacy. Findings showed that multi-strain probiotic supplementation consistently reduced NEC incidence, improved feeding tolerance, accelerated full oral feeding, and shortened hospitalization. Selected probiotics also lowered C-reactive protein and total serum bilirubin, suggesting systemic anti-inflammatory and metabolic benefits, whereas single-strain probiotics demonstrated variable efficacy. Mortality outcomes, however, were consistently unaffected across studies. Overall, probiotics are safe and provide clinically significant benefits in preterm and VLBW infants, particularly for NEC prevention and improved feeding and hospital outcomes, with multi-strain formulations appearing more effective and underscoring the importance of strain selection for optimizing therapeutic outcomes.
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Registered trials
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