Overview

• A 34-infant trial showed that administering a Bifidobacterium-containing probiotic alongside antibiotics during the first three weeks of life rapidly colonizes preterm guts with beneficial bacteria.
• Sequencing data revealed a shift toward a full-term infant–like microbiome profile alongside a marked decrease in antibiotic resistance genes and multidrug-resistant bacteria.
• Infants receiving probiotics exhibited lower levels of drug-resistant pathogens, including Enterococcus, which are linked to invasive infections and longer hospital stays.
• Researchers highlighted interactions among antibiotics, probiotics and horizontal gene transfer as possible mechanisms for selectively suppressing resistant strains without harming beneficial microbes.
• Authors emphasize that results are preliminary and call for larger, longer-term trials to assess clinical benefits, optimal dosing and implementation in NICU stewardship programs.