New Insight into The Use of Prophylactic Probiotic Supplement in Preterm and Very Low Birth Weight Infants

¹Kings College London, United Kingdom

²NHS Education South London, United Kingdom

*Corresponding Author: Dr. Therese-Mary William, Consultant in Paediatric and Neonates, NHS Education South London, United Kingdom.

Received Date: July 15, 2025

Published Date: October 23, 2025

Citation: William TM, et al. (2025). New Insight into The Use of Prophylactic Probiotic Supplement in Preterm and Very Low Birth Weight Infants. Mathews J Pediatr. 10(2):41.

Copyrights: William TM, et al. © (2025).

ABSTRACT

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common serious acquired life-threatening condition, and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in premature and very low birth weight infants. This is primarily due to abnormal gut microbiota and marked dysbiosis in the first few weeks of life of this cohort. Probiotics are live microbial supplement that can support and modulate intestinal microbiome and can potentially reduce NEC rates in preterm and very low birth infants. There is still controversy about the usage of probiotics in preterm and low birth weight infants and which type is more beneficial in reducing NEC. Aims: This study was to determine the effect of supplemental triple-species probiotics on reducing the NEC rates in preterm preterm <32 and very low birth weight (<1500g) infants. Methods: An ethical approval has been obtained to undertake an observational retrospective qualitative and quantitative study, in two neonatal centres simultaneously introduced triple-species probiotic policy, enrolling preterm <32 weeks and those born 32-36 weeks with very low birth weight <1500g. This was to assess the efficacy of prophylactic triple-species probiotic (Labinic) in reducing NEC and to compare NEC rates before and after probiotic introduction in two eras; Epoch one (1 July 2022 - 20 April 2023) prior to introduction of probiotic and epoch two (21 April 2023 - 25 March 2024) after introduction of probiotic policy. Results: Overall, 167 cases met the inclusion criteria from both eras. Table (1) shows NEC rate in epoch one was 17% while NEC rates in epoch two was 3 % only, (p-value ≈ 0.0026). The findings show a statistically significant reduction of NEC rate in epoch two. Prophylactic triple-species probiotic supplement has safely achieved 100% success rate in reducing NEC in preterm and very low birth infants without complications. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the prophylactic triple-species probiotic is a reliable and effective cost-effective method to significantly reduce NEC rates in in preterm <32 and very low birth weight (<1500) infants without any adverse complications.

Keywords: Probiotic, Necrotizing Enterocolitis, Preterm, Very Low Birth Infants, Retrospective.