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Researchers from the and 聽(UEA) have identified what makes some strains of gut bacteria life-threatening in preterm babies.

It is hoped the findings will help identify and track dangerous strains and protect vulnerable neonatal babies.

A major threat to neonatal babies with extremely low birth weight is necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). Rare in full-term babies, this microbial infection exploits vulnerabilities destroying gut tissue leading to severe complications. Two out of five cases are fatal.

One bacterial species that causes especially sudden and severe disease is Clostridium perfringens. These are common in the environment and non-disease-causing strains live in healthy human guts.

Prof Lindsay Hall and Dr Raymond Kiu from the Quadram Institute and UEA led a major study on C. perfringens genomes from preterm babies, including some babies with necrotising enterocolitis, and in .

The research team analysed C. perfringens genomes from the faecal samples of 70 babies admitted to five UK Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).

Based on genomic similarities, they found one set had a lower capacity to cause disease. This allowed a comparison with the more virulent strains.

The less virulent group lacked genes responsible for production of a toxin called PFO and other factors needed for colonisation and survival.

This study has begun to construct genomic signatures for C. perfringens associated with healthy preterm babies and those with necrotising enterocolitis.

Hall, from UEA鈥檚 Norwich Medical School and the Quadram Institute, said, 鈥淓xploring genomic signatures from hundreds of Clostridium perfringens genomes has allowed us potentially to discriminate between 鈥榞ood鈥� bacterial strains that live harmlessly in the preterm gut, and 鈥榖ad鈥� ones associated with the devastating and deadly disease necrotising enterocolitis.

鈥淲e hope the findings will help with 鈥榯racking鈥� deadly C. perfringens strains in a very vulnerable group of patients 鈥� preterm babies.鈥�

Larger studies across more sites and with more samples may be needed, but this research could help identify better ways to control necrotising enterocolitis.

When the team previously worked alongside Prof Paul Clarke and clinical colleagues at the Norfolk and Norwich University 黑料吃瓜群网 NICU, they demonstrated the benefits of providing neonatal babies with probiotic supplements.

The enterocolitis gut microbiome of neonatal infants is significantly disrupted, making it susceptible to C. perfringens overgrowth.

Hall said, 鈥淥ur genomic study gives us more data that we can use in the fight against bacteria that cause disease in babies 鈥� where we are harnessing the benefits of another microbial resident, Bifidobacterium, to provide at-risk babies with the best possible start in life.鈥�

Kiu said, 鈥淚mportantly, this study highlights whole genome sequencing as a powerful tool for identifying new bacterial lineages and determining bacterial virulence factors at strain level which enables us to better understand disease.鈥�

This research was supported by the , part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI); and the聽.

The study was led by researchers at Quadram Institute and the University of East Anglia, in collaboration with colleagues at Imperial College, London, the University of Glasgow, the University of Cambridge, Newcastle University and Northumbria University.

Image credit: iStock.com/Ondrooo