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2025 Robert Suskind and Leslie Lewinter-Suskind Pediatric Nutrition Lifetime Achievement Award Lecture: The Lifetime Journey of Nutrition: From the First 1000 Days, the Low Birth Weight, the HIV Exposed Child and Beyond - Lessons From Tanzania and Student Awards

(AL01-02-25) Effects of Early Neonatal Administration of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC 202195 on the Fecal Microbiota of Infants in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Saturday, May 31, 2025
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM ET
Location: S220 E-G
Robert Suskind and Leslie Lewinter-Suskind Pediatric Nutrition Student Awards Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Poster Competition

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Jennifer C. Onuora, MSc

    PhD Candidate
    The Hospital for Sick Children, Centre for Global Child Health; University of Toronto
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • AN

    Anna Neustaeter

    Centre for Global Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • HQ

    Huma Qamar, MSc

    The Hospital for Sick Children
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • LP

    Lisa G. Pell, Dr, PhD

    The Hospital for Sick Children
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • AG

    Antonio Gonzalez

    University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
    San Diego, California, United States

  • Daniel McDonald, PhD

    Scientific Director, American Gut Project
    UC San Diego
    San Diego, California, United States

  • AF

    Aline C. Freitas

    Centre for Global Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • DP

    Daniela S. Perry

    University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
    San Diego, California, United States

  • DH

    Davidson Hamer, MD

    Clinician-Scientist
    Boston University
    Boston, Massachusetts, United States

  • DB

    Diego G. Bassani, Dr, PhD

    The Hospital for Sick Children
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • EP

    Eleanor Pullenayegum

    Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • MI

    Mohammad S. Islam

    Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF)
    Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

  • PS

    Phillip M. Sherman

    University of Toronto, Department of Pediatrics; University of Toronto, Department of Nutritional Sciences; The Hospital for Sick Children, Cell and Systems Biology Program
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • PS

    Prakesh S. Shah

    University of Toronto, Department of Pediatrics; Mount Sinai Hospital, Department of Pediatrics
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • RH

    Rashidul Haque

    International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (icddr,b)

  • SS

    Samir K. Saha

    Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF)
    Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

  • SS

    Shafiqul A. Sarker

    Nutrition Research Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, (icddr,b)
    Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

  • SS

    Shamima Sultana

    Nutrition Research Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, (icddr,b)
    Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

  • SM

    Shaun K. Morris

    The Hospital for Sick Children, Centre for Global Child Health; The Hospital for Sick Children, Child Health Evaluative Sciences; University of Toronto, Department of Pediatrics
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • RK

    Rob Knight

    University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
    San Diego, California, United States

  • DR

    Daniel E. Roth, Dr, PhD, MD

    clinician-scientist
    The Hospital for Sick Children
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Objectives: Interventions aimed at altering the composition of the gut microbiome have the potential to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries where the burden of neonatal mortality remains high. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC 202195 (LP), provided either as a synbiotic with fructooligosaccharide (LP+FOS) or probiotics (LP), on the fecal microbiome composition and bacterial diversity in infants living in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Methods: Infants were randomized to receive LP (109 CFU/5 mg LP + 250 mg maltodextrin; n=103), LP+FOS (109 CFU/5 mg LP + 150 mg FOS + 100 mg maltodextrin; n=102), or placebo (250 mg maltodextrin; n=100) orally once daily for 7 days. Stool samples (n=2,079) collected at scheduled visits from birth to day 180 of life were analyzed using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Outcomes included alpha diversity (Shannon and Simpson indices), beta diversity (unweighted and weighted Unique Fraction [UniFrac]), and differential taxonomic abundance.

Results: LP or LP+FOS did not significantly affect alpha diversity overall relative to placebo (p >0.05). However, LP and LP+FOS affected the global microbiota composition (beta diversity) measured with unweighted UniFrac (no differences for weighted UniFrac) up to 60 days, but there were no significant differences beyond 60 days of age.

The relative abundance of the probiotic genus (Lactiplantibacillus) was increased in both LP and LP+FOS relative to placebo, although Lactiplantibacillus was present at low abundance overall (0.04%) even during the intervention period. Bifidobacterium (predominantly B. longum) dominated the microbiota of all three groups (59%) during and after the probiotic intervention. LP and LP+FOS influenced a few low-abundance bacterial genera (e.g. Lacticaseibacillus, Leuconostoc), but did not affect the abundance of dominant members of the microbiota such as Bifidobacterium, Klebsiella and Escherichia.

Conclusions: Among infants in Dhaka, Bangladesh, LP provided either as a probiotic or synbiotic had minor and short-term effects on the fecal microbiota composition and did not alter either the overall diversity or the abundance of dominant bacterial taxa.

Funding Sources: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation