Impact of delivery mode-associated gut microbiota dynamics on health in the first year of life

Abstract

The early-life microbiome appears to be affected by mode of delivery, but this effect may depend on intrapartum antibiotic exposure. Here, we assess the effect of delivery mode on gut microbiota, independent of intrapartum antibiotics, by postponing routine antibiotic administration to mothers until after cord clamping in 74 vaginally delivered and 46 caesarean section born infants. The microbiota differs between caesarean section born and vaginally delivered infants over the first year of life, showing enrichment of Bifidobacterium spp., and reduction of Enterococcus and Klebsiella spp. in vaginally delivered infants. The microbiota composition at one week of life is associated with the number of respiratory infections over the first year. The taxa driving this association are more abundant in caesarean section born children, providing a possible link between mode of delivery and susceptibility to infectious outcomes.

Oxygen battle in the gut: Hypoxia and hypoxia-inducible factors in metabolic and inflammatory responses in the intestine

“…Recent data demonstrate that maternal microbiota seeds the offspring microbiota at birth. Diversity and density of the microbiota increases and stabilizes to adult-like by the first 3 years of life (10,11). Studies demonstrate that the initial bacterial community is composed of aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria that consume oxygen in the intestine and thus provide an optimal niche for anaerobic bacteria (12).…”

Influence of Maternal Milk on the Neonatal Intestinal Microbiome

“…It takes about 3 years for a child to develop an intestinal microbiome composition similar to adults, i.e., dominated by Bacteroides and Firmicutes [26,27]. The infant stage of microbiome development is affected by factors such as prenatal exposure to antibiotics or toxins, the mode of delivery, antibiotic exposure after birth, diet (breast feeding versus formula feeding), the introduction of solid food, and environmental factors, such as geography or climate [26][27][28][29][30][31]. The colonization of the infant microbiome begins at delivery when infants can acquire many different types of bacteria from the environment and the vagina, skin, and intestine of their mothers [32].…”

Integrating the Ecosystem Services Framework to Define Dysbiosis of the Breastfed Infant Gut: The Role of B. infantis and Human Milk Oligosaccharides

“…Infants delivered by cesarean section are more likely to become colonized by environmental microorganisms from the maternal skin, healthcare staff and hospital surfaces. Vaginally delivered infants come in contact with bacteria from mother's vaginal canal and the fecal microbiota (18,19). From this initial load of microbes, the allochthonous, vaginally-derived and environmental species are then rapidly replaced by organisms adapted to the gut (20)(21)(22)(23); however, the microbiome differences based on delivery mode persist over time (19).…”