A targeted transmission of vaginal bacteria from the mother to newborns born by caesarean section appears to have a positive effect on the early development of the children. This is what researchers report in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.
After six weeks, the intestinal flora of newborns who had had their mother’s vaginal bacteria transferred to their lips, skin and hands after a cesarean section resembled those of babies born vaginally. At three and six months, the children also performed better on placebo-treated caesarean babies in terms of verbal sounds and movements. This study is among the first of its kind and promises an approach to improving the early gut flora of babies born by cesarean section.
“We don’t know exactly how early gut bacteria affect babies’ neurological development, but there is some indirect evidence that microbial metabolites are associated with disease,” said Yan He of Guangzhou Medical University. For example, the team found that babies with a transmission of vaginal bacteria had more indole lactic acid in their stool. Other studies show that this substance occurs at lower levels in people with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
It is known from previous studies that infants born by cesarean section have a very different composition of the intestinal flora than those born vaginally: the intestinal bacteria of babies delivered vaginally come from the mother’s birth canal, while those of babies born by cesarean section come from the mother’s skin, breast milk and the environment come. While the differences disappear over time, it has been suggested that early gut microbiota may have an impact on immune system development and later-onset disease.
In this study, 32 cesarean babies had their lips, skin, and hands rubbed with gauze soaked with the mother’s vaginal fluid. The control group consisted of 36 babies who were rubbed with a gauze containing only saline solution. No infant experienced any serious side effects during the experiment.
Source: DOI 10.1016/j.chom.2023.05.022