Infant gut microbiota restoration: state of the art

Abstract

The gut microbiota has a central role in the programming of the host’s metabolism and immune function, with both immediate and long-term health consequences. Recent years have witnessed an accumulation of understanding of the process of the colonization and development of the gut microbiota in infants. The natural gut microbiota colonization during birth is frequently disrupted due to C-section birth or intrapartum or postpartum antibiotic exposure, and consequently aberrant gut microbiota development is common. On a positive note, research has shown that restoration of normal gut microbiota development is feasible. We discuss here the current understanding of the infant microbiota, provide an overview of the sources of disturbances, and critically evaluate the evidence on early life gut microbiota restoration for improved health outcomes by analyzing published data from infant gut microbiota restoration studies.

Microbiome Interconnectedness throughout Environments with Major Consequences for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet

“…During and after birth, an infant is exposed to maternal vaginal, fecal, and skin microbes, and exposure depends on the mode of birth. However, vaginal and skin microorganisms are usually only transiently found in infant fecal samples, whereas the infant gut is permanently colonized by gut bacteria that are partly of maternal origin (162). Predominantly, Bifidobacterium spp.…”

“…are transferred from mother to child ( 163): both taxa have the ability to utilize human milk oligosaccharides (164). Due to their oxygen sensitivity and lack of spore formation, it seems that these taxa rely mostly on vertical transmission at birth, after which they persist indefinitely (162), unless antibiotics or toxins are ingested (165). Conversely, caesarean-born babies, harbor distinct microbial communities, that are more similar to skin surface and allow colonization of nosocomial opportunistic bacterial pathogens causing short-and long-term adverse health effects (166,167).…”

Study of Factors Influencing the Intestinal Microbiota in Children from 0 to 3 Months at the Mother and Child Hospital of Bingerville, Ivory Coast during 2023

“…The external influences that can affect the behavior of the intestinal microbiota are becoming increasingly clear [1,2,3]. The development of the intestinal microbiota from early life is crucial for an equilibrium that occurs early in life [4,5]. Indeed, the intestinal microbiota plays an important role, especially in nutrient digestion, the immune system, and xenobiotic metabolism.…”

Birthmode and environment-dependent microbiota transmission dynamics are complemented by breastfeeding during the first year

“…While a limited number of causality studies showed normalization of the microbiota in cesarean-delivered infants, notably by maternal fecal microbiota transfer, 21 , 22 most of the available studies have assessed the impact of these factors solely on the infant microbiota composition, 8 without considering their effect on vertical microbial transmission and its potential relevance for infant health. Previous analysis using strain-resolved metagenomics revealed that strains from the maternal gut microbiota were ecologically better adapted to colonizing the neonatal gut than strains from other sources, 6 highlighting the role of the maternal microbiota as the main microbial seeding source for the newborn.…”