Fecal Volatile Metabolomics Predict Gram-Negative Late-Onset Sepsis in Preterm Infants: A Nationwide Case-Control Study

Nina M Frerichs, Sofia El Manouni El Hassani, Nancy Deianova, Mirjam M van Weissenbruch, Anton H van Kaam, Daniel C Vijlbrief, Johannes B van Goudoever, Christian V Hulzebos, Boris W Kramer, Esther J d'Haens, Veerle Cossey, Willem P de Boode, Wouter J de Jonge, Alfian N Wicaksono, James A Covington, Marc A Benninga, Nanne K H de Boer, Hendrik J Niemarkt, Tim G J de Meij

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Abstract

Early detection of late-onset sepsis (LOS) in preterm infants is crucial since timely treatment initiation is a key prognostic factor. We hypothesized that fecal volatile organic compounds (VOCs), reflecting microbiota composition and function, could serve as a non-invasive biomarker for preclinical pathogen-specific LOS detection. Fecal samples and clinical data of all preterm infants (≤30 weeks' gestation) admitted at nine neonatal intensive care units in the Netherlands and Belgium were collected daily. Samples from one to three days before LOS onset were analyzed by gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), a technique based on pattern recognition, and gas chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS), to identify unique metabolites. Fecal VOC profiles and metabolites from infants with LOS were compared with matched controls. Samples from 121 LOS infants and 121 matched controls were analyzed using GC-IMS, and from 34 LOS infants and 34 matched controls using GC-TOF-MS. Differences in fecal VOCs were most profound one and two days preceding Escherichia coli LOS (Area Under Curve; p-value: 0.73; p = 0.02, 0.83; p < 0.002, respectively) and two and three days before gram-negative LOS (0.81; p < 0.001, 0.85; p < 0.001, respectively). GC-TOF-MS identified pathogen-specific discriminative metabolites for LOS. This study underlines the potential for VOCs as a non-invasive preclinical diagnostic LOS biomarker.

Original languageEnglish
Article number572
JournalMicroorganisms
Volume11
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2023

Keywords

  • fecal biomarker
  • gas chromatography—ion mobility spectrometry
  • gas chromatography—time of flight—mass spectrometry
  • microbiota
  • neonatology
  • volatile organic compounds

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