Work package 1.1

Hypothesis: Caesarean birth affects the gut microbiota and infection resistance in infants.

Mode of delivery and gut microbiota

The mode of birth, Caesarean section or vaginal delivery, may exert long term influences on the infant gut microbiota and immunity (5). While previous studies have indicated differences, these have used relatively insensitive methods for microbiota analyses.

Methods

Fecal samples from infants and mothers at 0, 4 and at 12 months after birth (Vaginal delivery or Caesarean section) are frozen at -80oC.

Results

Metagenomic analyses (complete genome sequencing and SNPs for polymorphisms) will show how the infant gut microbiota is influenced by birth colonization, food patterns and antibiotics during the first year of life, and how this relates to maternal gut microbiota. Results are important as reference for other WP1 studies.

Synopsis

Publications

NEOMUNE-related publications and background litterature.