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Review
. 2018 Feb 28;10(3):274.
doi: 10.3390/nu10030274.

Factors Affecting Gastrointestinal Microbiome Development in Neonates

Clara Yieh Lin Chong  1 , Frank H Bloomfield  2   3 , Justin M O'Sullivan  4
Affiliations
Review

Factors Affecting Gastrointestinal Microbiome Development in Neonates

Clara Yieh Lin Chong et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

The gut microbiome is established in the newborn period and is recognised to interact with the host to influence metabolism. Different environmental factors that are encountered during this critical period may influence the gut microbial composition, potentially impacting upon later disease risk, such as asthma, metabolic disorder, and inflammatory bowel disease. The sterility dogma of the foetus in utero is challenged by studies that identified bacteria, bacterial DNA, or bacterial products in meconium, amniotic fluid, and the placenta; indicating the initiation of maternal-to-offspring microbial colonisation in utero. This narrative review aims to provide a better understanding of factors that affect the development of the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome during prenatal, perinatal to postnatal life, and their reciprocal relationship with GI tract development in neonates.

Keywords: Caesarean-section; Human milk oligosaccharides; Intrapartum antimicrobial prophylaxis; Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; in utero development; infant feeding; microbiota; vaginal birth.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Factors from in utero to post-natal life that have been shown to affect the establishment of the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Variables that can impact on culture independent approaches for fecal microbiome characterisation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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