All Early Life Microbiome articles
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NewsNew research identifies potential early indicator of Johne’s disease exposure in calves
New research has found that antibodies against Johne’s disease can be detected in the blood of newborn calves after they have received colostrum from their mothers. Antibody measurements could provide a way to determine when calves are first exposed to the disease.
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NewsLast-line antibiotics at risk as children’s resistance rises
Antimicrobial resistance in children is rising globally and will worsen over the next decade, threatening the effectiveness of life‑saving antibiotics, according to a world-first monitoring platform.
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NewsNew study reveals how birth method and antibiotics may shape babies’ gut bacteria
A new systematic review has found that both the way a baby is born and exposure to antibiotics around the time of birth could be linked to differences in the development of the infant gut microbiome. Exclusively breastfeeding babies may reduce these differences.
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NewsNew clues raise hopes for better treatment of RSV in babies
Future therapies for respiratory syncytial virus must target both the virus and its immune response to ensure babies get the best possible outcomes, finds a new study that developed a lab model of baby lungs to show why RSV makes infants so much sicker than adults.
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NewsGut bacteria linked to malnutrition may pass to younger generations
A new study suggests that an intestinal disorder linked to malnutrition and stunted growth may be transmitted from one generation to the next via the small intestinal microbiome.
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NewsGut bacteria boost immune system and help send Vitamin A to T cells
Scientists have discovered that gut bacteria help regulate the development of the body’s immune system by directing the movement of vitamin A through a previously unrecognized cellular network.
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NewsBreast milk gives certain gut bacteria a head start
Research shows that sugars in breast milk play an important role in the development of the gut microbiota, during weaning or transition from breast milk to solid food.
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NewsHealthy infant microbiomes appear to protect against malaria
A small preliminary study shows that 6-week-old infants with healthy gut microbiomes are less likely to contract malaria in their first year of life, suggesting the intriguing possibility that treatments such as probiotics could be protective against malaria.
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NewsGut fungi may hold the key to treating asthma worldwide
Two new studies reveal that certain species of fungi in the gut play a key role in the development of immune dysregulation and some pediatric allergic diseases — and may be promising targets for new therapies.
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NewsNew study highlights maternal-fetal TORCH infection risk
Researchers have assessed long-term trends in TORCH infections in India, a region where reliable data have been lacking. TORCH includes pathogens that cause toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus and other infections.
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NewsMaternal RSV vaccine cuts infant hospitalizations by 70%
A study has found that vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during pregnancy reduced the risk of hospitalization in young infants by nearly 70%. It provides early real-world evidence from U.S. clinical care, showing that administering one dose of the maternal RSV vaccine (RSVpreF vaccine) reduces hospitalization related to RSV in young infants.
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NewsProtection for newborns: New treatment aims to prevent meningitis without antibiotics
One of the leading pathogens responsible for meningitis cases in newborn babies is the K1 form of the E. coli bacterium. Now, researchers have developed a triple-pronged approach that seeks to prevent transmission to newborns.
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NewsSkin-to-skin care may save newborn lives
Kangaroo mother care, first introduced as an alternative to insufficient incubator care, combines skin-to-skin contact, exclusive breastfeeding, early discharge, and follow-up support. A new review case makes the case for treating iKMC not as an optional add-on, but as a core part of neonatal care for eligible preterm and low-birth-weight infants.
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NewsOrangutans breastfeed their young for six and a half years, the longest among mammals
Researchers show that wild orangutan juveniles keep consuming their mother’s milk continuously until at least six and a half years of age. The study also suggests that the more milk a juvenile consumes, the stronger its biological defenses and the higher the presence of probiotic intestinal bacteria.
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NewsWhy babies are dying and how we can stop it
A study has identified that the vast majority of neonatal deaths caused by infections in South Africa and other low-and-middle-income countries could be prevented through improved clinical care and targeted medical interventions.
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NewsMouse study suggests high-fat diets during pregnancy worsen severe GI illness in preterm babies
A new mouse study suggests a link between a high-fat prenatal diet and induction of potentially deadly symptoms of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature babies.
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NewsCaesarean birth: sex-specific effects on the microbiota
A research team investigating microbial colonisation in early life set out to understand how delivery mode and sex interact over the course of development, and whether this interaction could affect susceptibility to intestinal diseases such as colitis in adulthood.
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NewsHow the immune system battles lifelong viral infections acquired at birth
Millions of people worldwide carry viral infections they acquired at birth, often for life. For a long time it was assumed that the immune system hardly fights these pathogens. Researchers show that the body’s defenses do indeed act against the virus.
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NewsNew study suggests reduced newborn hepatitis B vaccination coverage may increase infant infections
Researchers found that lower vaccination coverage among infants born to unscreened mothers was associated with a substantial increase in HBV infections.
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NewsE. coli and ‘good’ bacteria balanced by breastmilk in baby gut microbiomes
Sugars contained exclusively in breast milk are helping to feed an important balance of bacteria in babies’ developing gut microbiomes, according to a study that describes how babies who are breastfed maintain a mutually beneficial co-existence of E. coli and Bifidobacterium.