Fig. 4

Comparison of taxonomic profiles between infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and controls. a NEC infants had trends of increased relative abundance in Proteobacteria from 24 to 36 weeks corrected gestational age (CGA) accompanied by decreased abundances in Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, relative to controls. In control infants, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria decreased after 27 weeks and coincided with an increase in Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. b–d Phylum level differences between NEC cases and controls across CGA (data in means and SD) showed significant differences in Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes (*p < 0.05). e, f Mean relative abundance distributions between NEC cases and controls at the phylum level (e) and genus level (f) when data from all CGAs are included