Preterm babies with very low birth weight who received a probiotic alongside antibiotics had fewer multidrug-resistant bacteria and a more typical gut microbiome, according to a study. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, is based on a trial testing probiotics among a group of 34 preterm babies born with a very low birth weight, under 1,500g, representing around 1-1.5 per cent of babies born around the world.
Researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK sequenced gut bacteria from the babies during the first three weeks after birth.
They found that among babies who received a probiotic treatment of a certain strain, including Bifidobacterium, alongside antibiotics — the typical bacterial strains associated with early-life gut microbiota — were at levels typical among full-term babies.
This helped reduce both the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes and the number of multidrug-resistant bacteria in the gut.
There were also lower levels of drug-resistant pathogens, including Enterococcus, associated with risks of infections and longer hospital stays.
“We have already shown that probiotics are highly effective in protecting vulnerable preterm babies from serious infections, and this study now reveals that these probiotics also significantly reduce the presence of antibiotic resistance genes and multidrug-resistant bacteria in the infant gut,” said Professor Lindsay Hall from the University of Birmingham.
Babies who received probiotics also saw higher levels of certain positive bacteria found naturally in the gut.
Among babies who didn’t receive probiotics, analysis of the gut bacteria found that while some differences occurred between those receiving antibiotics or not, both groups saw a dominant microbiome develop that included key bacteria (pathobionts) that can cause health problems, including life-threatening infections during the crucial period after birth, as well as in later life.