LEADING ARTICLE
Probiotics and necrotising enterocolitis in premature infants
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
R J Schanler
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, North Shore University Hospital, 300 Community Drive, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; schanler@nshs.edu
Accepted 18 July 2006
Abbreviations: NEC, necrotising enterocolitis
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
The intestinal ecosystem consists of three components that interact closely: the host cell, nutrients and microflora. Knowledge of the interactions among these components may be applicable for disease prevention.1
The microflora of adult humans are found primarily in the colon and distal small intestine, and consists of >1013 microorganisms, comprising nearly 500 species.1,2 The microflora exist in a mutually beneficial relationship with the host, are metabolically active, and allow for the synthesis and breakdown of numerous dietary compounds. Hence, the host does not need to adapt to perform these functions. In return, the intestinal bacteria are provided a protected, nutrient-rich environment. This mutual relationship may be important in the immature or neonatal intestine, because microbial digestion avoids the need for a mature enzyme capability. For example, a major nutritional effect of intestinal microflora is the metabolism of unabsorbed carbohydrates to short-chain fatty acids, an energy source for intestinal cells, and
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