Bovine Lactoferrin Supplementation for Prevention of Late-Onset Sepsis in Very Low-Birth-Weight Neonates

Paolo Manzoni, MD Matteo Rinaldi, MD Silvia Cattani, MD Lorenza Pugni, MD Mario Giovanni Romeo, MD Hubert Messner, MD Ilaria Stolfi, MD Lidia Decembrino, MD Nicola Laforgia, MD Federica Vagnarelli, MD Luigi Memo, MD Linda Bordignon, MD Onofrio Sergio Saia, MD Milena Maule, PhD, MSc, BSc Elena Gallo, MD Michael Mostert, MD Cristiana Magnani, MD Michele Quercia, MD Lina Bollani, MD Roberto Pedicino, MD Livia Renzullo, MD Pasqua Betta, MD Fabio Mosca, MD, PhD Fabrizio Ferrari, MD, PhD Rosario Magaldi, MD Mauro Stronati, MD Daniele Farina, MD fortheItalianTaskForcefortheStudyand PreventionofNeonatalFungal Infections, the Italian Society of Neonatology INFECTIONS ARE THE MOST COMMON cause of death in premature infants andamajorthreatforpooroutcomes. Late-onset sepsis, ie, infections arising after the perinatal period, are mainly nosocomial and affect 21% of very lowbirth-weight (VLBW) ( 1500 g) neonates, with many more undergoing empirical antibiotic treatment. In VLBW neonates, thedigestivetract isamajorsite for colonization and systemic translocationbymanypathogens.Also,prolonged