Infection with coagulase-negative staphylococci in newborn preterm infants induce a rapid metabolic shift in both plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, which was modulated by enteral colostrum feeding. Results showed attenuated lactate accumulation.
Very preterm infants with low gestational weight are at high risk of infections and following life-threatening sepsis due to their immature immune system and permeable gut. One of the most frequent pathogens is the coagulase-negative staphylococci Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE). Sepsis is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in such children and many actions are taken to avoid it.
This study examined of the perturbations in systemic and cerebral metabolism caused by sepsis, and the impact of a bioactive milk diet (bovine colostrum) during bloodstream infection with SE in preterm piglets. Together with data from same experiment published in the article Oral Supplementation with Bovine Colostrum Prevents Septic Shock and Brain Barrier Disruption During Bloodstream Infection in Preterm Newborn Pigs these results strongly point to enteral colostrum supplementation as an effective means to decrease the damages.
Early colostrum supplementation attenuated the increases in lactate, alanine and succinate levels in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, caused by the bloodstream infections with SE. Lactate accumulation in blood and cerebrospinal fluid and plasma choline levels are biomarkers related to the level of impaired energy metabolism and the severity of cerebral damage, respectively. Hypoxia-related changes in systemic and cerebral energy metabolism were also attenuated by oral colostrum supplementation, suggesting a protective role on the regulation of inflammatory responses.
These results match previous results from same animal experiment, showing reduced blood oxygen partial pressure and saturation during SE infection, which were prevented by colostrum supplementation.
The attenuating effects from colostrum may come from the wide range of anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial proteins found herein. You can read more about these here in the page Contents in bovine colostrum on this website.
Read this article here: Rapid cerebral metabolic shift during neonatal sepsis is attenuated by enteral colostrum supplementation in preterm pigs
