Babies Shed Light on 'Friendly' Bacteria

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Interestingly, two of the babies were fraternal twins delivered by Caesarean section and thus without any exposure to the mother's vaginal or rectal environments. The twins had much lower bacterial levels than the other babies for the first week of life, and they also showed the most similarity in their microbial profiles.

"The fact that the twins were so similar gives us a glimmer of hope that it's not a completely chaotic process," said Palmer.

This study helps uncover the range of what occurs in the guts of healthy babies born to healthy mothers. Future studies could explore the roles genetics and environment play in the development of these microbes, such as how the microbial environments of breast-fed babies compare to formula-fed babies.

The findings are expected to be published in the July issue of Public Library of Science-Biology.

More information

The Nemours Foundation has more about newborn nutrition.