Progress in clinical application of probiotics in preterm infants

Very low birth weight infants (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight infants (ELBW) are prone to complications such as feeding intolerance and infectious diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis due to the prematurity of the immunological and gastrointestinal system.In recent years, probiotics are being widely used in preterm infants to improve gut microbiota and enhance the resistance to foreign substance.In this way, probiotics plays a role in lessening the incidence of feeding intolerance, reducing the mortality and morbidity of severe NEC and shortening of hospital stay. Key words: Probiotics; Feeding intolerance; Necrotizing enterocolitis; Preterm infant