ENTERAL FEEDING OF PREMATURE-INFANTS WITH LACTOBACILLUS GG

The objectives of this study were to determine whether or not the prob iotic Lactobacillus GG can colonise the immature bowel of premature in fants and if so, does colonisation result in a reduction of the size o f the bowel reservoir of nosocomial pathogens such as enterobacteriace ae, enterococci, yeasts or staphylococci, and does colonisation with L actobacillus GG have any effect on the clinical progress and outcome. Twenty preterm infants with a gestational age of 33 weeks or less who were resident on a neonatal unit were studied from the initiation of m ilk feeds until discharge. The infants were randomised to receive eith er milk feeds or milk feeds supplemented with Lactobacillus GG 10(8) c olony forming units twice a day for two weeks. The clinical features o f the two groups of infants were similar. Orally administered Lactobac illus GG was well tolerated and did colonise the bowel of premature in fants. However, colonisation with Lactobacillus GG did not reduce the faecal reservoir of potential pathogens and there was no evidence that colonisation had any positive clinical benefit for this particular gr oup of infants.