The effects of gestational age on the composition and predicted function of gut microbiota in neonates and early infants
1 Department of Paediatrics, The First People’s Hospital of Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
2 Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
3 Department of Neonatology, Zhejiang Xiaoshan hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2021, 12(02), 567–573
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2021.12.2.0648
Publication history:
Received on 21 October 2021; revised on 24 November 2021; accepted on 26 November 2021
Abstract:
Gut microbiota can influence cell differentiation, metabolism, and immune function and is key for the normal development and future health of early infants. Several factors have been reported to be related to the microbiota composition of neonates, such as gestational age, delivery mode, feeding method, antibiotics consumption, and ethnicity, among others. So we investigated the relationship between gestational age and the composition and predicted function of the gut microbiota of neonates and early infants by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene present in stool samples obtained from 100 prospectively enrolled full-term and preterm newborns. In the 3-day-old neonates samples, the prominent genera in the full-term group were Escherichia-Shigella, Streptococcus, Bifidobacterium, and Bacteroides, while in the preterm group, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Escherichia-Shigella and Clostridium were the most abundant genera identified. There were statistical difference between two groups(P<0.05). Moreover, the predominant genera in the full-term group were Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, and Clostridium , whereas the main genera in the preterm group were Escherichia-Shigella, Clostridium, Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides, in stool samples from 30-42-day-old infants. We found the α-diversity in 3-day-old group was significantly lower than in the 30-42-day-old group whether it’s full-term or preterm (P<0.001). Functional inference analysis revealed higher levels of biodegradation and metabolism of carbohydrates, vitamins in the full-term group than in the preterm group, both in neonates and early infants, which may contribute to the stability of the microbiota in the full-term group. There were significant differences in the composition and predicted function of the gut microbiota of early infants due to gestational age. The 16S sequencing technology was an effective and reliable tool in the detection of gut microbiota in early infants.
Keywords:
Full-term; Preterm; Early infants; Gut microbiota; α-diversity; Predicted function
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