New Delhi, Aug 16
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.