Gut Talk Series: The Infant Microbiome and the Risks of Dysbiosis

The gut microbiota is a complex ecosystem which plays a major role in the development of the immune protective mechanisms and immunomodulatory functions. The development of the healthy microbiota is influenced by multiple factors such as genetic, maternal (including prenatal) and environmental factors. By far, mode of delivery and type of feeding, appear to be the most significant modulators of early microbiota development. Probiotics may have the potential for mitigating the dysbiosis associated with cesarean birth of lack of breastfeeding and its longer-term immune related consequences.