Intestinal Microbiota in Premature Children — the Modern State of the Problem (Literature Analysis)

Abstract

The problem of intestinal microbiota influencing the health of early aged children has become especially relevant over the past few years. On one hand, this is due to the significant worsening of the human environment ecology, on the other — due to the high prevalence of digestive disorders in children, especially premature ones. The introduction of modern high-informative molecular-genetic research methods (PCR-amplification with gene sequenation) made it possible to reveal the primary stage of human colonization by bacteria even at the stage of fetal ontogenesis and to thoroughly decode the microbiota structure in newborns and first-year babies. It is established, that the mothers microbiota has a direct effect on the quantity and quality of the child’s microbiota. The mother’s microbiota depends not only on her possessing inflammatory, but also metabolic diseases (obesity). There is also a direct correlation between the children’s microbiota and the wway they were born (microbiota is better in cases of natural birth), and these differences are prevalent after a number of months after birth. One of the main factors affecting microbiota after birth from the very first day is nutrition. Most studies earnestly confirm the role of breastfeeding in contributing to an optimal microbiocenosis in the child. Antibacterial therapy, being received by either the mother or the child has a negative effect on the colonization of the intestines by symbiont microbes. The negative impacts on the micro flora are especially significant for premature children especially those born with a very low and extremely low body mass. The ontogenesis of these children is most severed by malicious factors (infections followed by the necessity of a massive antibacterial therapy, hypoxia, surgical birth, forced artificial feeding) in connection with a general immaturity, including not yet fully-fledged body defense systems. Directive microbiota correction in premature children is an important condition for prevention and treatment of such severe diseases as sepsis necrotizing enterocolitis. For this reason, the usage of probiotics is considered as one of the promising practices of practical neonatology. The article contains an example of studying the effectiveness of probiotic therapy in premature babies with a combined perinatal pathology.

Keywords

• premature children
• feeding
• intestine microbiota
• microbiom
• probiotics