Identifying why some strains of gut bacteria are life-threatening in preterm infants

Researchers from the Quadrum Institute and the University of East Anglia have identified the cause of some strains of gut bacteria as being life-threatening in preterm infants.

The findings will help identify and track at-risk strains and protect vulnerable newborns.

A major threat to extremely low birth weight infants is necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

Although rare in term babies, this microbial infection exploits vulnerabilities to destroy intestinal tissue and cause serious complications. 2 out of 5 are fatal.

One bacterial species that causes particularly sudden and severe illness is: Clostridium perfringens. They are common in the environment, and healthy human intestines are populated with non-disease-causing strains.

So why are certain strains so dangerous for premature babies?

Professor Lindsey Hall and Dr. Raymond Qiu of Quadrum Institute and UEA said: Clostridium perfringens Genomes of preterm infants, including some with necrotizing enterocolitis.

Analysis by the research team Clostridium perfringens Genomes were analyzed from stool samples of 70 infants admitted to five neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the UK.

They found that one set had a lower ability to cause disease, based on genomic similarities. This allowed comparison with more virulent strains.

The less virulent group lacked genes involved in producing a toxin called PFO and other factors necessary for colonization and survival.

This study initiated the construction of the following genomic signatures. Clostridium perfringens It is associated with healthy preterm infants and infants with necrotizing enterocolitis.

Explore hundreds of genomic signatures Clostridium perfringens Thanks to the genome, we may be able to distinguish between the ‘good’ bacterial strains that live harmlessly in the gut of preterm births and the ‘bad’ bacterial strains associated with the devastating and fatal disease necrotizing enterocolitis.

We hope this discovery will help ‘track’ lethality Clostridium perfringens A very vulnerable patient group – the strain of preterm infants. ”

Professor Lindsay Hall, UEA Norwich Medical College and Quadrum Institute

Larger studies with more sites and more samples may be needed, but this study may help identify better ways to control necrotizing enterocolitis.

The research team had previously worked with Professor Paul Clark of the NICU at Norfolk Norwich University Hospital and clinical colleagues. And they demonstrated the benefits of giving probiotic supplements to newborns.

The gut microbiota in neonatal enteritis is significantly disrupted, making it susceptible to enteritis. Clostridium perfringens overgrowth.

Professor Hall said: “Our genomic studies give us more data that we can use to fight the bacteria that cause infant disease, where we are taking advantage of another resident microbe. increase. bifidobacteriaTo give at-risk babies the best start in life. ”

“Importantly, this study demonstrates that whole-genome sequencing is a powerful tool for identifying new bacterial lineages and determining bacterial virulence factors at the strain level,” said Dr. Raymond Qiu of the Quadrum Institute. It emphasizes that this will allow us to have a deeper understanding of the disease.”

This research was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, part of UKRI, and the Wellcome Trust.

The study was led by researchers from the Quadrum Institute and the University of East Anglia, in collaboration with colleagues from Imperial College London, the University of Glasgow, the University of Cambridge, the University of Newcastle and the University of Northumbria.

“Specific genomic and virulence traits associated with toxin-producing substances from preterm infants” Clostridium perfringens stocks are listed. natural microbiology.