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Neonatal intestinal dysbiosis

Journal of Perinatology volume 40, pages 1597–1608 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

The initial colonization of the neonatal intestinal tract is influenced by delivery mode, feeding, the maternal microbiota, and a host of environmental factors. After birth, the composition of the infant’s microbiota undergoes a series of significant changes particularly in the first weeks and months of life ultimately developing into a more stable and diverse adult-like population in childhood. Intestinal dysbiosis is an alteration in the intestinal microbiota associated with disease and appears to be common in neonates. The consequences of intestinal dysbiosis are uncertain, but strong circumstantial evidence and limited confirmations of causality suggest that dysbiosis early in life can influence the health of the infant acutely, as well as contribute to disease susceptibility later in life.

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Fig. 1: Neonatal intestinal dysbiosis and disease risk.
Fig. 2: Contributors and consequences of intestinal dybiosis.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the National Institutes of Health HD096241 (M.A.U.), HD088753 (S.M.), HD072929 (S.L.), AI32738 and AI125926 (C.L.B.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Mark A. Underwood & Satyan Lakshminrusimha

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Sagori Mukhopadhyay

  3. Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, UC Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA

    Charles L. Bevins

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Underwood, M.A., Mukhopadhyay, S., Lakshminrusimha, S. et al. Neonatal intestinal dysbiosis. J Perinatol 40, 1597–1608 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-020-00829-2

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