Introduction
prematurity, breast-fed
NECROTIZING ENTEROCOLITIS, SEQUELAE
The gut microbiota of healthy term vaginally delivered breast-fed children is rich in bifidobacteria.The establishment of the gut microbiota guides the maturation of key regulatory systems during the critical period of developmental plasticity.The use of specific probiotics has received considerable attention, particularly in the attempt to fight the acute sequelae of prematurity. A Cochrane meta-analysis with more than 10,000 preterm neonates determined that administering specific probiotics may prevent necrotizing enterocolitis, although they expressed the need for more studies to be carried out.Probiotics, by definition, are live microorganismsThe data on how the microbiota of a preterm child responds to probiotic intervention, directly administered to the child as compared to the administration via mother, are lacking. Consequently, we compare these modes of intervention, and secondly, seek probiotic strain combinations that give the optimal microbiota modulation for this vulnerable population.