PRETERM GUT MICROBIOME DEPENDING ON FEEDING TYPE

Preterm microbial colonization is affected by gestational age, antibiotic treatment, type of birth, but also by type of feeding. Breast milk has been acknowledged as the gold standard for human nutrition. In preterm infants breast milk has been associated with improved growth and cognitive development and a reduced risk of necrotizing enterocolitis and late onset sepsis. In the absence of own mother's milk, pasteurized donor human milk could be the best available alternative due to its similarity to the former. However, little is known about the effect of donor human milk upon preterm microbiota and potential biological implications. Our objective was to determine the impact of donor human milk upon preterm gut microbiota admitted in a referral neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A prospective observational cohort study, paired, in NICU of 69 neonates <32 weeks of gestation and with a birth weight?=1.500?g was conducted. Neonates were classified in 3 groups according to feeding practices consisting in own mother's milk, donor human milk or formula. Fecal samples were collected when full enteral feeding (defined as =150 cc/kg/day) was achieved. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.