All Early Life Microbiome articles
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NewsGrowing together, bacterium after bacterium
Social interaction among babies in their first year of life influences and enriches the diversity of their gut microbial strains, based on the findings of a study on microbiome transmission.
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NewsProject to combat childhood diarrhea receives over 5 million euros
A new project will use probiotics, improved education in hygiene and advanced mathematical models to prevent children from dying of diarrhea in low and middle-income countries.
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NewsInfant gut bacteria may be the key to preventing asthma and allergies
A study shows that children are less likely to develop allergies and asthma if, as infants, they are colonized with certain bifidobacteria that produce a substance in the gut - a so-called metabolite - that dampens immune responses to allergens.
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NewsMicrobes in breast milk help populate infant gut microbiomes
A new study provides one of the most detailed portraits yet of how different combinations of bacteria in human milk contribute to the assembly of infants’ gut microbiomes.
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NewsNewly discovered gut microbial molecules in infancy may influence the risk of type 1 diabetes
An international research team has uncovered compelling evidence that gut-microbe-derived molecules may play an important role in shaping the developing immune system during early childhood.
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NewsFatal infection risk in newborns may increase when this bacteria and fungus mix
A new study reveals that when Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) interacts with Candida albicans, GBS is more likely to spread disease and become harder to treat in newborns. Infection by both microbes reduces the effectiveness of existing GBS treatments.
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NewsProbiotics can restore gut microbiome in breastfed infants
A new study has found that supplementing exclusively breastfed infants with a probiotic, Bifidobacterium infantis EVC001, between 2 and 4 months of age can successfully restore beneficial bacteria in their gut.
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NewsStudy reveals high stakes of early immune development—and a potential probiotic fix
Scientists find that certain gut bacteria are essential for building immune defenses during infancy, pointing to new strategies for protecting children’s health. They have identified a way to preserve healthy immune development even when infants need antibiotic treatment.
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NewsStudy links gut bacteria to bloodstream infections in newborns within sub-Saharan Africa for the first time
New research has shown gut and bloodstream infections are caused by the same bacteria giving hope of better prevention and diagnosis of deadly neonatal sepsis.
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NewsProfessor named EMBO Young Investigator for work on the infant microbiome
Prof. Moran Yassour has been selected as one of the 2025 EMBO Young Investigators. She receives this prestigious recognition for her innovative research on the developing infant microbiome and its impact on pediatric health.
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CareersSummer studentship: Oliver probes AMR in neonatal sepsis - and use of novel bacterial screening methods.
Oliver Spiller-Boulter, from Cardiff, reports back on his AMI-sponsored summer studentship which examined antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in neonatal sepsis and the use of novel bacterial screening methods.
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NewsImpact of pasteurization on dairy calves’ gut microbiota: A study of milk feeding and early microbial colonization
A new study highlights the impact of pasteurization on microbial diversity in dairy calves, underlining the importance of balancing pathogen safety and microbial health. It suggests that while pasteurization prevents pathogen transmission, it also reduces beneficial microbial transfer.
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NewsBabies’ gut bacteria may influence future emotional health
A child’s early gut microbiome may influence their risk of developing depression, anxiety or other internalizing symptoms in middle childhood, according to a new study.
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NewsMissing nutrient in breast milk may explain health challenges in children of women with HIV
A new study reveals that breast milk from women living with HIV contains significantly lower levels of tryptophan, an essential amino acid likely important for infant immune function, growth, and brain development.
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NewsBabies born eight to ten weeks early can be safely milk fed without risk of gut complications, finds a new study
A major study has found that babies born between eight to ten weeks early can be fed with milk through a tube in their stomach straight after birth rather than being given intravenous feeds through a drip.
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NewsResearchers probe how malaria harms unborn babies
UK-based Wellcome has awarded over €2 million to an international research effort to uncover how malaria can injure developing babies.
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NewsMaldives is first country to achieve ‘triple elimination’ of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B
The World Health Organization has validated the Maldives for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, while maintaining its earlier validation for EMTCT of HIV and syphilis. This makes the Maldives the first country in the world to achieve ‘triple elimination’.
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News‘Good’ gut bacteria boost placenta for healthier pregnancy
Research has found the first clear evidence that the ‘good’ gut bacteria Bifidobacterium breve in pregnant mothers regulates the placenta’s production of hormones critical for a healthy pregnancy. Pregnant mice without Bifidobacterium breve in their gut had a higher rate of complications, and increased fetal loss.
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News‘Alarming’ rise in newborn babies with antibiotic-resistant infections, researchers find
Researchers are calling for an urgent overhaul of diagnostic and treatment guidelines for infections in newborn babies, after a study revealed frontline treatments for sepsis are no longer effective to treat the majority of bacterial infections.
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NewsRSV vaccines safe and effective, Cochrane review finds
A new Cochrane review demonstrates that vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are both safe and effective in protecting vulnerable groups that are most at risk of serious illness, including older adults and infants.