Oral colostrum priming shortens hospitalization without changing the immune-microbial milieu

BACKGROUND: Oral colostrum priming (OCP) after birth in preterm infants is associated with improved weight gain and modification of the oral immuno-microbial environment. We hypothesized OCP would modify salivary immune peptides and the oral microbiota in preterm infants. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, randomized clinical trial to determine the effects of OCP on salivary immune peptide representation in preterm infants (<32 weeks completed gestation at birth). Saliva samples were collected prior to and after OCP. Salivary immune peptide representation was determined via mass spectroscopy. Oral microbiota representation was determined via sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. RESULTS: Neonates that received OCP (n = 48) had a 16-day reduction in the median length of hospitalization as compared to infants that did not receive OCP (n = 51). No differences in salivary immune peptide sequence representation prior to OCP between groups were found. Longitudinal changes in peptides were detected (lysozyme C, immunoglobulin A, lactoferrin) but were limited to a single peptide difference (alpha defensin 1) between primed and unprimed infants after OCP. We found no difference in microbial diversity between treatment groups at any time point, but diversity decreased significantly over time in both groups. OCP treatment marginally modified oral taxa with a decline in abundance of Streptococci in the OCP group at 30 days of life. CONCLUSIONS: OCP had neither an effect on the salivary peptides we examined nor on overall oral bacterial diversity and composition. Infants that received OCP had a reduced length of hospitalization and warrants further investigation.