Infants in the acute phase of NEC exhibited reduced abundances of functional genes compared to non-NEC infants, particularly in pathways governing: folding, sorting, and degradation; pyruvate metabolism; fatty acid metabolism; valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation; Staphylococcus aureus infection; thiamine metabolism; tryptophan metabolism; transport and catabolism; PPAR signaling; peroxisome activity; and biotin metabolism. This evidence concerns the gene PPARA and necrotizing enterocolitis.