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Reintroducing B. infantis to the cesarean-born neonate: an ecologically sound alternative to "vaginal seeding"
Rebbeca M Duar1, David Kyle1, Rachel M Tribe2
1Evolve BioSytems, Inc. Davis, California, 95618 USA.
Insights
Infants born via cesarean section (c-section) may not benefit from vaginal seeding. Restoring the gut microbiome with specific bacteria like B. longum subsp. infantis is a safer, ecologically sound approach for neonates.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Neonatal health
- Ecological perspectives on microbial colonization
Background:
- Growing evidence shows health outcome differences between vaginally born and cesarean-section (c-section) born infants.
- Cesarean delivery can disrupt the initial colonization of the infant gut microbiome.
- Vaginal seeding has been proposed as a method to restore the infant gut microbiome after c-section.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the ecological basis of microbial colonization in the infant gut.
- To assess the safety and efficacy of vaginal seeding for neonates born via c-section.
- To propose an alternative, ecologically sound strategy for restoring the infant gut microbiome.
Main Methods:
- Ecological perspective analysis of microbial adaptation.
- Review of existing literature on infant gut microbiome development.
- Comparative assessment of vaginal seeding versus targeted probiotic intervention.
Main Results:
- Microbes adapted to the gut environment are more likely to colonize the infant gut successfully than vaginal microbes.
- Vaginal seeding poses potential safety risks and may offer a false sense of restoring the infant gut microbiome.
- B. longum subsp. infantis is a key beneficial bacterium that has evolved for infant gut colonization.
Conclusions:
- Vaginal seeding is not ecologically sound and may be unsafe for neonates.
- Targeted restoration of specific gut-adapted bacteria, such as B. longum subsp. infantis, is a safer and more effective approach.
- Focusing on B. longum subsp. infantis can help restore the infant gut microbiome following c-section.
Abstract:
There is a burgeoning literature highlighting differences in health outcomes between babies born vaginally and by caesarean section (c-section) This has led to the suggestion that infants born by c-section may benefit from vaginal swabbing/seeding. Here, we discuss from an ecological perspective that it is gut-adapted, not vagina-adapted microbes that are likely to take up residence in the gut and have the most beneficial impact on the developing neonate. Further, we caution the practice of 'vaginal seeding' may be potentially unsafe and also give parents and health professionals a false sense of action in restoring the infant gut microbiome following c-section. Instead, we argue that restoring B. longum subsp. infantis, which has evolved to colonize the infant gut, is a safe and ecologically-sound approach to restoring the gut microbiome of infants born by c-section.
