When a Neonate Is Born, So Is a Microbiota

Abstract

In recent years, the role of human microbiota as a short- and long-term health promoter and modulator has been affirmed and progressively strengthened. In the course of one’s life, each subject is colonized by a great number of bacteria, which constitute its specific and individual microbiota. Human bacterial colonization starts during fetal life, in opposition to the previous paradigm of the “sterile womb”. Placenta, amniotic fluid, cord blood and fetal tissues each have their own specific microbiota, influenced by maternal health and habits and having a decisive influence on pregnancy outcome and offspring outcome. The maternal microbiota, especially that colonizing the genital system, starts to influence the outcome of pregnancy already before conception, modulating fertility and the success rate of fertilization, even in the case of assisted reproduction techniques. During the perinatal period, neonatal microbiota seems influenced by delivery mode, drug administration and many other conditions. Special attention must be reserved for early neonatal nutrition, because breastfeeding allows the transmission of a specific and unique lactobiome able to modulate and positively affect the neonatal gut microbiota. Our narrative review aims to investigate the currently identified pre- and peri-natal factors influencing neonatal microbiota, before conception, during pregnancy, pre- and post-delivery, since the early microbiota influences the whole life of each subject.

Microbial Contamination in Hospital Environment Has the Potential to Colonize Preterm Newborns’ Nasal Cavities

“…Most of these genes were also detected in the microbial population contaminating the ward environment, including beta-lactam resistance genes (SHV), quinolone resistance genes (QnrS), and macrolide resistance genes (ermA, ermB, ermC, mefA, msrA). Based on kinetic of newborns colonization by environmental microorganisms [ 68 , 69 ], based on the so-called paradigm of the “sterile womb”, with a few taxa present at birth, the absence of R genes at time 0 and their appearance at 9 and 13 days after birth are compatible with the arrival of resistant strains from the environment and their proliferation/colonization in the nasal cavities of the babies.…”

Brown Adipose Tissue: New Challenges for Prevention of Childhood Obesity. A Narrative Review

“…The main culprit of this increased weight gain seems to be the microbiome [ 39 , 40 , 41 ]. As previously mentioned, the delivery method also has an impact on the BAT functioning, once more, through gut microbiome modulation [ 42 ]. Specifically, some human studies correlated the C-section with an increased risk of weight gain [ 43 ].…”

“…During breastfeeding, infants control the amount of milk ingested and feed according to their hunger, to develop healthy eating habits [ 107 ]. Breastfeeding also shows an important influence in the development of a healthy gut microbiome, which plays an important role in the prevention of various kinds of illnesses, including obesity [ 42 ].…”

Breast Milk and COVID-19: From Conventional Data to “Omics” Technologies to Investigate Changes Occurring in SARS-CoV-2 Positive Mothers

“…Gut bacteria can move to the mesenteric circle through the entero–mammary pathway, reaching mammary gland and therefore being transferred to neonatal gut through BM. This represents one of bacterial routes of transmission (together with skin and mouth) [ 93 , 94 , 95 ].…”