Page 27 - Petelin, Ana, et al. 2019. Eds. Zdravje otrok in mladostnikov / Health of Children and Adolescents. Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 27
h a predominance of Lactobacillus (Aagaard et al., 2012), Prevotella and oth- the influence of gut microbiota and probiotics on children health 25
er Bifidobacterium (Dominguez-Bello et al., 2010). Exposure to mother’s fecal
microbiota is also an important transmission route of bacteria e.g. from En-�
terobacteriaceae family (de Muinck in sod., 2011). The gut microbiota of infants
delivered by cesarean delivery is less diverse in terms of bacteria species than
the microbiota of vaginally delivered infants (Biasucci et al., 2008). During ce-
sarean delivery, direct contact of the newborn with vaginal and fecal micro-
biota is absent and the first intestinal bacteria are derived from hospital envi-
ronment and mother’s skin. Bacterial genera underrepresented in infants born
by cesarean delivery are Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, Propionibacterium
spp. Escherichia, Shigella and Bacteroides (Azad et al., 2013).
The age of birth gestation has also an important role in newborns’ gut mi-
crobiota composition. Preterm infants show low diversity with increased colo-
nization of potentially pathogenic bacteria from the Enterobacteriaceae fami-
ly of the Proteobacteria phylum and reduced levels of strict anaerobes such as
Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Atopobium (Rinninella et al., 2019). Altered
intestinal colonization, as well as high interindividual variability and reduced
microbial diversity in preterm infants, represent a risk factor for later disease
development and their outcomes.
Infant feeding methods, namely breast milk feeding and formula feed-
ing, greatly affect the development of the gut microbiota in early life. Human
milk contains proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, as well as immunoglobulins
and endocannabinoids (Tanaka and Nakayama, 2017). The oligosaccharides in
human milk (HMO) such as galactooligosaccharide (GOS), are one of the main
components of breast milk. They are only partially digested in the small in-
testine and mostly reach the colon, where they are fermented, mainly by Bi-
fidobacterium, to produce short-chain fatty acids (Huërou-Luron et al., 2010).
Therefore, HMOs have a clear probiotic effect by selectively stimulating the de-
velopment of a Bifidobacterium-rich microbiota.
Recent studies indicated that antibiotic exposure in early age greatly af-
fects the development of neonatal gut microbiota. The use of antibiotics de-
creases the overall diversity of gut microbiota, shifts the composition toward a
high abundance of Proteobacteria and low abundance of Actinobacteria pop-
ulations and works selective for drug-resistant bacteria (Tanaka et al., 2009;
Greenwood et al., 2014). According to some epidemiological surveys, the use of
antibiotics in early life increases the risk of allergic diseases such as asthma, at-
opic disease, eczema, and type 1 diabetes (Langdon et al., 2016).
Impact of infant microbiota on health
A healthy host-microbiota balance guarantees optimal performance of meta-
bolic and immune functions and prevents disease development and has recent-
ly been shown to influence the bidirectional signaling between the gut and the
nervous system, termed microbiota-gut-brain axis (Cryan and Dinan, 2012).
er Bifidobacterium (Dominguez-Bello et al., 2010). Exposure to mother’s fecal
microbiota is also an important transmission route of bacteria e.g. from En-�
terobacteriaceae family (de Muinck in sod., 2011). The gut microbiota of infants
delivered by cesarean delivery is less diverse in terms of bacteria species than
the microbiota of vaginally delivered infants (Biasucci et al., 2008). During ce-
sarean delivery, direct contact of the newborn with vaginal and fecal micro-
biota is absent and the first intestinal bacteria are derived from hospital envi-
ronment and mother’s skin. Bacterial genera underrepresented in infants born
by cesarean delivery are Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, Propionibacterium
spp. Escherichia, Shigella and Bacteroides (Azad et al., 2013).
The age of birth gestation has also an important role in newborns’ gut mi-
crobiota composition. Preterm infants show low diversity with increased colo-
nization of potentially pathogenic bacteria from the Enterobacteriaceae fami-
ly of the Proteobacteria phylum and reduced levels of strict anaerobes such as
Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Atopobium (Rinninella et al., 2019). Altered
intestinal colonization, as well as high interindividual variability and reduced
microbial diversity in preterm infants, represent a risk factor for later disease
development and their outcomes.
Infant feeding methods, namely breast milk feeding and formula feed-
ing, greatly affect the development of the gut microbiota in early life. Human
milk contains proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, as well as immunoglobulins
and endocannabinoids (Tanaka and Nakayama, 2017). The oligosaccharides in
human milk (HMO) such as galactooligosaccharide (GOS), are one of the main
components of breast milk. They are only partially digested in the small in-
testine and mostly reach the colon, where they are fermented, mainly by Bi-
fidobacterium, to produce short-chain fatty acids (Huërou-Luron et al., 2010).
Therefore, HMOs have a clear probiotic effect by selectively stimulating the de-
velopment of a Bifidobacterium-rich microbiota.
Recent studies indicated that antibiotic exposure in early age greatly af-
fects the development of neonatal gut microbiota. The use of antibiotics de-
creases the overall diversity of gut microbiota, shifts the composition toward a
high abundance of Proteobacteria and low abundance of Actinobacteria pop-
ulations and works selective for drug-resistant bacteria (Tanaka et al., 2009;
Greenwood et al., 2014). According to some epidemiological surveys, the use of
antibiotics in early life increases the risk of allergic diseases such as asthma, at-
opic disease, eczema, and type 1 diabetes (Langdon et al., 2016).
Impact of infant microbiota on health
A healthy host-microbiota balance guarantees optimal performance of meta-
bolic and immune functions and prevents disease development and has recent-
ly been shown to influence the bidirectional signaling between the gut and the
nervous system, termed microbiota-gut-brain axis (Cryan and Dinan, 2012).
