The Developing Microbiome of the Preterm Infant

Purpose To determine the importance of the neonatal microbiome in intestinal and overall health. Method A review of existing literature. Findings and Implications The microbiome is increasingly understood to have a significant role in health and disease. However, the microbiome of the preterm infant is unique, with simple microbial communities exposed to a consistent diet in a regulated environment, and development from naive to stable under the influence of the neonatal intensive care unit. This early microbiome encounters a still developing host and thus has the potential to program fundamental pathways with implications for neonatal and later outcomes.