Primary Objective: * To evaluate the effects of synbiotics on infectious morbidity and growth while it is in place from 4 to 24 weeks of age. * To evaluate the effects of synbiotics on infectious morbidity and growth from 4 to 48 weeks of age. Secondary Objectives: * To evaluate the effects of synbiotics on growth from 4 to 72 weeks of age. * To evaluate the effects of synbiotics on infant neurodevelopment at 48 and 72 weeks of age. * To evaluate the effects of synbiotics on biological measurements while it is in place from 4 to 24 weeks of age. * To evaluate the effects of synbiotics on biological measurements from 4 to 48 weeks of age. * To evaluate the effects of synbiotics on gut microbiome and fecal short chain fatty acids from 4 to 72 weeks of age. * To investigate feasibility, acceptance, tolerability, and behavioral adherence with the intervention. * To investigate whether the synbiotics reduces infectious morbidity and improves growth in CHEU relative to CHUU. * To investigate whether infant gut microbiota composition, maturity and function, and markers of inflammation and HMOs at baseline and over time are associated with morbidity and poor growth in CHEU and CHUU.
Children who are HIV-exposed uninfected (CHEU), i.e., children born to mothers with HIV but who do not acquire HIV infection, have a higher risk of mortality, infectious morbidity, and growth deficits than children who are HIV-unexposed uninfected (CHUU), i.e., children whose mothers do not have HIV. Prior research has focused on breastfeeding and has pointed to changes in human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) associated with maternal HIV infection that appear to influence the infant microbiome and thereby lead to these adverse outcomes. A randomized trial of an intervention which combines HMOs and probiotics in breastfed CHEU will be conducted in South Africa to evaluate whether this intervention has the potential to reduce excess infectious morbidity and growth faltering risks observed in CHEU. CHEU will be randomized 1:1 to either a) intervention (synbiotic: 2'-FL HMO + B. infantis probiotic) or b) placebo (Maltodextrin). The study intervention or placebo will be given from 4-24 weeks of age (total 20 weeks), followed by another 48 weeks of observation off study treatment. Both arms will be followed to 72 weeks of age for assessment of infant outcomes.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
140
Synbiotic (2'-FL HMO + B. infantis probiotics)
Maltodextrin
Worcester Campus of Stellenbosch University (SU)
Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa
Proportion of infants with infectious morbidity from 4-24 weeks
Infectious morbidity data related to infectious respiratory or gastrointestinal morbidity will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-24 weeks of age
Infant length for age Z scores (LAZ) from 4-24 weeks
Infant anthropometry will be recorded at each visit to calculate infant length for age Z scores (LAZ) will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-24 weeks of age
Proportion of infants with infectious morbidity from 4-48 weeks
Infectious morbidity data related to infectious respiratory or gastrointestinal morbidity will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-48 weeks of age
Infant length for age Z scores (LAZ) from 4-48 weeks
Infant anthropometry will be recorded at each visit to calculate infant length for age Z scores (LAZ) will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-48 weeks of age
Infant weight for age (WAZ) and weight for length (WLZ) Z scores from 4-24 weeks
Infant anthropometry will be recorded at each visit to calculate infant weight for age (WAZ) and weight for length (WLZ) Z scores and will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-24 weeks of age
Infant weight for age (WAZ) and weight for length (WLZ) Z scores from 4-48 weeks
Infant anthropometry will be recorded at each visit to calculate infant weight for age (WAZ) and weight for length (WLZ) Z scores and will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-48 weeks of age
Infant length for age (LAZ), weight for age (WAZ) and weight for length (WLZ) Z scores from 4-72 weeks
Infant anthropometry will be recorded at each visit to calculate infant length for age (LAZ), weight for age (WAZ) and weight for length (WLZ) Z scores and will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-72 weeks of age
Infant microbiota-for-age Z scores (MAZ)
Infant microbiota-for-age Z scores (MAZ), a measure of infant microbiome maturity, will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-72 weeks of age
Infant microbiota diversity
Microbiota diversity of taxa will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-72 weeks of age
Infant microbiota relative abundance
Microbiota relative abundance of taxa will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-72 weeks of age
Infant fecal short-chain fatty acid levels
Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels in stool samples from infants will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-72 weeks of age
Infant plasma metabolite levels
Unbiased metabolomics will be used to investigate whether metabolite levels and major metabolic pathways are different between the two arms
Time frame: 4-24 weeks of age
Infant plasma inflammatory markers and growth hormone levels
Levels of protein inflammatory markers and growth hormones will be measured using immunoassays and will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-48 weeks of age
Infant plasma HMO levels
Infant HMO levels will be measured and compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-24 weeks of age
Proportion of infants with Adverse Events (AEs)/Serious Adverse Event (SAEs)
Proportion of AE/SAEs will be recorded and compared between the two arms to assess the safety of the intervention
Time frame: Through 24 weeks of age
Proportion of infants with tolerability symptoms
Digestive tolerability will be assessed and compared between the two arms to assess the safety of the intervention
Time frame: Through 8 weeks of age
Proportion of infants with severe infectious morbidity
Severe infectious morbidity (i.e., those requiring hospitalizations) data related to infectious respiratory or gastrointestinal morbidity will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 4-48 weeks of age
Infant neurodevelopment milestones
A comprehensive neurodevelopment assessment, i.e., Griffiths III scale, will be conducted on infants at weeks 48 and 72 and the proportion passing each milestone will be compared between the two arms
Time frame: 48-72 weeks
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