Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus for preventing necrotizing enterocolitis in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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#bifidobacterium #enterocolitis-necrotizing #humans #infant-newborn #infant-premature

Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus for preventing necrotizing enterocolitis in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Jiao et al., 2020 | World J Pediatr | Meta Analysis

Citation

Jiao Xue, Fu Meng-Di, ... Zhang Yuan. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus for preventing necrotizing enterocolitis in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis. World J Pediatr. 2020-Apr;16(2):135-142. doi:10.1007/s12519-019-00297-5

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The therapeutic effect of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus on necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants was controversial, and we aimed to explore the exact impact of the two probiotics. METHODS: The PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for studies published from January 1, 2010 to February 28, 2019. Results were combined with fixed-effect model or random-effect model with specific conditions. Sensitivity analysis was conducted by the trim-and-fill method, and the Begger's and Egger's test were used to measure publication bias. RESULTS: The meta-analysis included 16 original articles with 4632 very-low-birth-weight preterm infants. With respect to the intervention of Bifidobacterium, we estimated non-significant decrease in the morbidity of NEC with a risk ratio (RR) of 0.75 [95% confidence internal (CI) 0.56-1.01, P = 0.06]. Regarding the effect of Lactobacillus, there was no evidence of significant lower risk in the incidence of NEC (RR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.39-1.17, P = 0.16). The use of mixture of probiotics (Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus) reduced the risk of NEC in the probiotics group (RR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.25-0.80, P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: The mixture of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus could prevent the morbidity of NEC in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants. But Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus alone did not show this effect.

Key Findings

The meta-analysis included 16 original articles with 4632 very-low-birth-weight preterm infants. With respect to the intervention of Bifidobacterium, we estimated non-significant decrease in the morbidity of NEC with a risk ratio (RR) of 0.75 [95% confidence internal (CI) 0.56-1.01, P = 0.06]. Regarding the effect of Lactobacillus, there was no evidence of significant lower risk in the incidence of NEC (RR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.39-1.17, P = 0.16). The use of mixture of probiotics (Bifidobacterium and

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 16
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Bifidobacterium
  • Enterocolitis, Necrotizing
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant, Premature
  • Infant, Very Low Birth Weight
  • Lactobacillus
  • Probiotics

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: probiotics

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09