Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening inflammatory disease of the digestive system that affects newborns. It occurs most frequently in preterm infants and especially in very low birth weight (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. Its pathophysiology is multifactorial; however, intestinal dysbiosis is postulated to be an important pathogenic factor in its development. Therefore, it has been proposed that the administration of probiotics may have a role in the prevention of NEC in high-risk patients. This update presents a brief overview of the evidence regarding the effect of probiotics in neonates. The results of the systematic reviews and meta-analyses reviewed indicate that probiotic administration reduces the risk of NEC, death and late sepsis in VLBW infants, however, studies are still lacking in the ELBW group. Studies comparing different probiotic administration strategies indicate that schemes that include the administration of a mixture of 2 or more probiotics obtain the best results in the prevention of NEC and death. Additionally, there is some evidence to favor schemes that include species of the genera Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus.

Conclusion: There is evidence in the specialized literature that supports probiotic administration may reduces the risk of NEC and other adverse outcomes in preterm infants.

Keywords: Necrotizing enterocolitis, probiotics, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus