Manipulating the neonatal gut microbiome: current understanding and future perspectives

Abstract

The development of a healthy intestinal microbiome following birth contributes to the overall health of the infant during childhood and into adulthood. However, modern birth practices such as caesarean delivery, feeding, antibiotic exposure as well as maternal factors have the potential to greatly impact infant microbiome development. Aberrant microbiome development may be a key factor in the increasing incidence of inflammatory and gut diseases. This review will summarise the current understanding of how modern birth practices may contribute to deficiencies in neonatal gut microbiome development and will also present potential methods of microbiome engineering that aim to ensure the development of a healthy and robust microbiome to protect the host from disease throughout their life.