CESAREAN-SECTION AND THE DYSBIOSIS OF NEONATAL GUT MICROBIOME: ILL-EFFECTS, SIDE-EFFECTS, OR JUST EFFECTS?

Nagpal, Ravinder; Yuichiro Yamashiro

Our gut microbiota plays a fundamental role in our health and disease. The establishment of human gut microbiota during infancy is influenced by many factors among which delivery mode has the most prominent effect. Babies born by C-section harbor a different microbiota profile as compared to babies born vaginally. Coincidently, babies born via C-section are also found to be more predisposed to develop diseases such as asthma, obesity, type- 2 diabetes etc. later in life, possibly because of abnormal microbiome spectrum. However, it still remains unresolved whether inclination to these maladies results from a lack of exposure to the mother's (vaginal and perianal) microbiota during birth or from higher exposure to unsolicited microbes such as those acquired from environment, mother's skin etc. Hence, further studies are still required to intensely examine the colonization pattern of infant gut microbiota with regard to birth mode and its comprehensive influence on infant's long-term health, particularly scrutinizing the influence of confounding factors such as demographic, ethnic, genetic, parental, environmental, nutritional, gestational etc. Present mini-review aims to bring together some of the important evidences on the influence of birth mode on the acquisition and development of infant gut microbiota composition.

FETAL development; MICROBIOTA; MEDICAL microbiology; PREMATURE labor; INFANT health

International Journal of Probiotics & Prebiotics, 2017, Vol 12, Issue 3, p103

1555-1431

Academic Journal