List and describe potential factors that the mother or the infant could be exposed to that could influence the colonization of the microbial community in the newborn infant (in positive or negative ways).
It is known that infants start becoming exposed to many different bacteria and by the moment they’re born, they are diversifying their microbiota. Being born , either vaginally or through C-section, both introduce new microbes to the infant. If born via C-section, it’s shown that those babies have more antibiotic resistant bacteria, and this could be a cause for MRSA in infants (64-82% of the infants with MRSA were delivered via C-section) (1). Several diseases may have a higher relevance rate with C section babies such as celiac disease, asthma, and obesity. However, this is just an association rather than factual correlations.
Breast milk vs. formula as well as weaning period influence changes in the gut and oral microbiota, and differences are found in milk vs. formula babies. For milk babies, they show more Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Bacteroide species which aid in absorbing more nutrients. However, long term effects are not known (1).
The child’s environment, immune system and genes all help determine which microbes can stay and which ones won’t be able to colonize (2).
Things the mother ingests could affect the infant through breast milk, the cleanliness of the mother, the amount of things the mother let’s the baby suck on, the binky… These could all introduce positive and negative microbes.
The infant’s microbiota is almost at the same point as an adult’s microbiota by the young age of 3. Therefore, the infant’s microbiota is changing rapidly through their environment and the new things they’re introduced to, whether positive or negative.
References:
Nuriel-Ohayon M, Neuman H, Koren O. 2016. Microbial changes during pregnancy, childbirth, and infancy. Frontiers in Microbiology 7:1-13.
lecture 6b notes: Obstetrics and Infant Microbiota Development. Obtained from: https://courses.ecampus.oregonstate.edu/bhs323/6b/
