Microbial colonization and sepsis in premature infants

Neonatal sepsis due to intestinal bacterial translocation is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Understanding the acquisition of microbial colonization of the gut in extreme prematurity may determine who is at risk of developing neonatal sepsis to guide future novel strategies to manipulate the microbiome and reduce risk. Meconium and stool samples were obtained weekly. DNA was extracted and the V6 hypervariable region of 16S rDNA was amplified followed by high throughput DNA 454 pryosequencing to compare subjects with and without sepsis.