By Jessie Schiewe
Los Angeles Times
Concern about a newborn’s bacterial flora is not a topic you’re likely to hear discussed in the waiting room of the maternity ward — but that may change. A new study has found that the way in which babies are delivered exposes them to specific bacteria that could play a role in their future health.
The study, published online Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that babies delivered vaginally had microbes on their bodies that resembled their mother’s vaginal bacteria, while babies delivered via caesarean section had bacterial communities like those commonly present on adult skin.
The finding is significant, scientists said, because the types of bacteria residing on a newborn influence the development of their digestive and immune systems, and may affect their health later.