Abstract
Microbes Colonize a Baby’s Gut with Distinction
Highlights
If you’re going through an identity crisis, you might not want to consider the fact that, at the cellular level, you’re really more microbe than human
The colonization of the sterile newborn gastrointestinal tract by a thriving microbial community is a pivotal milestone in human development
Acting as a species fingerprint, the small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) gene is found in every species and evolves relatively slowly, making it a favorite tool for classifying microbes, based on variations in this gene’s sequence across organisms
Summary
If you’re going through an identity crisis, you might not want to consider the fact that, at the cellular level, you’re really more microbe than human. The researchers found that healthy babies had remarkably different microbial communities living in their guts during their first months of life. With the help of mothers, Palmer et al collected stool samples from healthy babies (one mother had fraternal twins), starting with daily samples just after birth, and tapering off over the first year.
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