{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T00:27:28Z","timestamp":1760228848864,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,22]],"date-time":"2022-05-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1653177600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["T32AI007329","K12GM133314","R21 HD089278"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["T32AI007329","K12GM133314","R21 HD089278"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Compared to term infants, the microbiota of preterm infants is less diverse and often enriched for potential pathogens (e.g., members of the family Enterobacteriaceae). Additionally, antibiotics are frequently given to preterm infants, further destabilizing the microbiota and increasing the risk of fungal infections. In a previous communication, our group showed that supplementation of the premature infant diet with medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil reduced the fungal burden of Candida spp. in the gastrointestinal tract. The objective of this study was to determine whether MCT supplementation impacts the bacterial component of the microbiome. Pre-term infants (n = 17) receiving enteral feedings of either infant formula (n = 12) or human milk (n = 5) were randomized to MCT supplementation (n = 9) or no supplementation (n = 8). Fecal samples were taken at randomization and prior to MCT supplementation (Week 0), on days 5\u20137 (Week 1) and day 21 (Week 3). After DNA extraction from samples, the QIIME2 pipeline was utilized to measure community diversity and composition (genera and phyla). Our findings show that MCT supplementation did not significantly alter microbiota diversity or composition in the gastrointestinal tract. Importantly, there were no significant changes in the family Enterobacteriaceae, suggesting that MCT supplementation did not enrich for potential pathogens. MCT holds promise as a therapeutic intervention for reducing fungal colonization without significant impact on the bacterial composition of the host gastrointestinal tract.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu14102159","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,23]],"date-time":"2022-05-23T02:57:02Z","timestamp":1653274622000},"page":"2159","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Minimal Effects of Medium-Chain Triglyceride Supplementation on the Intestinal Microbiome Composition of Premature Infants: A Single-Center Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1683-2288","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jes\u00fas A.","family":"Romo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Amanda B.","family":"Arsenault","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, RI 02905, USA"},{"name":"Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sonia S.","family":"Laforce-Nesbitt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, RI 02905, USA"},{"name":"Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7425-1895","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joseph M.","family":"Bliss","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, RI 02905, USA"},{"name":"Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carol A.","family":"Kumamoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"690","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chom.2015.04.004","article-title":"Dynamics and Stabilization of the Human Gut Microbiome during the First Year of Life","volume":"17","author":"Backhed","year":"2015","journal-title":"Cell Host Microbe"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11971","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1002601107","article-title":"Delivery mode shapes the acquisition and structure of the initial microbiota across multiple body habitats in newborns","volume":"107","author":"Costello","year":"2010","journal-title":"Proc. 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