Abstract
The gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of human health. Numerous factors, including the mode of delivery, impact early gut colonization in newborns. Recent research focuses on the use of probiotics in the prevention of gut dysbiosis in newborns delivered by cesarean section (CS). The objective of this study was to determine whether a probiotic supplement given to newborns delivered by CS during their stay in the maternity ward alters the pattern of early gut colonization by lactic acid bacteria versus potential pathogens. A prospective, randomized trial was conducted. In total, 150 newborns, born at 38–40 weeks gestational age and delivered by CS, were included in the study. They were randomized into the intervention group, supplemented orally with a probiotic containing Bifidobacterium breve PB04 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus KL53A, and the control group. Stool samples were obtained on days 5 and 6 of life and after one month of life and were analyzed for the presence and abundance of the main groups of bacteria. An application of two probiotic bacteria during the first days of life after CS resulted in quick and abundant colonization by days 5 and 6, with high populations of L. rhamnosus and B. breve. The applied bacterial strains were present in the majority of neonates one month after. The supplementation of term neonates delivered by cesarean section immediately after birth with a mixture of L. rhamnosus and B. breve enriched the gut microbiota composition with lactic acid bacteria.
Highlights
The early development of the intestinal microbiota in neonates born vaginally starts at birth due to the acquisition of organisms from the vaginal microbiota, and from other maternal sources and environmental sources [1]
The neonatal gut microbiota develops by the sequential colonization of intrauterine/vaginal birth-associated taxa, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, skin-derived taxa, and other typical early colonizers from the environment, such as Streptococcus and Enterococcus, and potential pathogens (Staphylococcus, Enterobacteriaceae) usually detected in children born in hospitals
Since the gut microbiota of the neonates delivered by cesarean section (CS) is characterized by low numbers of lactic acid bacteria and high numbers of the potential pathogens, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of probiotic supplementation on the composition of the main constituents of the gut microbiota; that is, populations of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in comparison to those of the potential pathogens in healthy children delivered by CS
Summary
The early development of the intestinal microbiota in neonates born vaginally starts at birth due to the acquisition of organisms from the vaginal microbiota, and from other maternal sources (i.e., skin) and environmental sources [1]. The neonatal gut microbiota develops by the sequential colonization of intrauterine/vaginal birth-associated taxa, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, skin-derived taxa, and other typical early colonizers from the environment, such as Streptococcus and Enterococcus, and potential pathogens (Staphylococcus, Enterobacteriaceae) usually detected in children born in hospitals. CS is suggested to be one of the major factors in the early-life disruption of neonatal gut microbiota [5]. The acquisition of Lactobacillus is significantly impaired in CS-born infants compared with those delivered vaginally [6].
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