Gut bacteria and necrotizing enterocolitis: cause or effect?

Trends Microbiol. 2015 Jun;23(6):332-3. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2015.04.005. Epub 2015 Apr 30.

Abstract

Development of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is considered to be dependent on the bacterial colonisation of the gut. With little concordance between published data and a recent study failing to detect a common strain in infants with NEC, more questions than answers are arising about our understanding of this complex disease.

Keywords: gut microbiome; metagenomics; necrotising enterocolitis; preterm.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Bacteria / isolation & purification*
  • Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / microbiology*
  • Hospitalization*
  • Humans
  • Intestines / microbiology*