Early life colonization of the human gut: microbes matter everywhere

Microbes colonising the infant intestine, especially bacteria, are considered important for metabolic and immunological programming in early life, potentially affecting the susceptibility of the host to disease. We combined published data to provide a global view of microbiota development in early life. The results support the concept that the microbiota develops with age in an orchestrated manner, showing common patterns across populations. Furthermore, infants are colonised at birth by specific, selected maternal faecal bacteria and likely their bacteriophages. Therefore, infants are adapted to receiving specific bacterial signals, partly derived from the maternal microbiota, at successive immunological time windows during early development. Birth by caesarean section compromises the initial vertical transmission of microbes whereas antibiotic use shifts the microbiota away from the normal developmental pattern. These disruptions alter the microbial signals that the host receives, potentially affecting child development.