The Development of Early Life Microbiota in Human Health and Disease

Abstract

The colonization of the human microbiota in early life has long-lasting health implications. The status of the initial intestinal microbiota determines human growth and development from infancy to adulthood, and thus represents a crucial window in our long-term development. This review aims to summarize the latest findings on the symbiotic gut microbiota early in life and its vital role in metabolic-, allergic-, and auto-immune-disorder-related diseases, including obesity, diabetes, allergy, autism, inflammatory bowel disease, and stunting. It discusses the development process and various factors shaping the gut microbiota, as well as the crosstalk between the gut microbiota and the host’s physiological systems (especially intestinal immune development and homeostasis, and the central nervous system in the course of neurodevelopment), during the early life establishment of the gut microbiota, in order to decipher the mechanisms of diseases associated with the intestinal microbiome of early life. In addition, it examines microbiota-targeted therapeutic methods that show promising effects in treating these diseases. The true process of gut microbiome maturation, which depends on genetics, nutrition, and environmental factors, must be scrutinized in order to monitor healthy gut microbiome development and potentially correct unwanted courses by means of intervention via methods such as novel probiotics or fecal microbiota transplantation.