The lack of detection of CXCL8 by RNA-Seq in NEC at statistically significant levels can be explained by the high variability in its expression in both NEC and CTRL neonatal intestines as observed by qPCR (Fig. 2) and the fact that shorter transcripts such as CXCL8 are less efficiently detected by the short read procedure used in RNA-Seq [31]. This evidence concerns the gene CXCL8 and necrotizing enterocolitis.