Pandemic impact on babies’ microbiomes?
Pandemic impact on babies' microbiomes?
Infants Born During the Pandemic Show Differences in Gut Bacteria
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in our lives, and it turns out that even infants born during this time may have experienced some unique effects. According to a new study, babies born during the pandemic have shown differences in the types of bacteria present in their gut compared to those born before COVID-19 dominated the world.
This fascinating research suggests that pandemic babies have lower amounts of two groups of bacteria: Pasteurellaceae and Haemophilus. These bacteria are known to cause various infections. Additionally, these infants have displayed significantly different bacteria diversity, highlighting the potential impact of the social changes brought about by the pandemic.
Researchers believe that these differences may be attributed to several factors. With infants spending more time at home and less time in daycare interacting with other children, their exposure to a diverse range of bacteria may have decreased. Furthermore, increased hygiene measures, changes in diet, breastfeeding practices, and heightened caregiver stress during the pandemic may also have affected the composition of their gut microbiome.
In a press release from New York University, researcher Sarah Vogel expressed the significance of this study in understanding how the social environment can shape the infant gut microbiome: “The COVID-19 pandemic provides a rare natural experiment to help us better understand how the social environment shapes the infant gut microbiome, and this study contributes to a growing field of research about how changes to an infant’s social environment might be associated with changes to the gut microbiome.”
The study conducted by Vogel and her colleagues compared stool samples from two groups of 12-month-old infants in New York City. One group consisted of 34 babies born before the pandemic, while the other group comprised 20 babies born between March and December 2020. By analyzing the samples, the researchers were able to identify the differences in bacteria composition between the two groups.
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As researchers continue to study the gut microbiome, they have already discovered its profound impact on long-term health. In adults, a lower diversity of microbiota species in the gut has been linked to poorer physical and mental health. However, there is still much to learn about the development of the gut microbiome during infancy and how the early caregiving environment can shape these connections, as noted by Natalie Brito, an associate professor at NYU Steinhardt.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, sheds light on the potential effects of the pandemic on infants’ gut health. Further research in this area will contribute to our understanding of the long-term consequences and inform future strategies to optimize infant health.
For more information on infant health during the pandemic, refer to Johns Hopkins University.
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