Microbial Changes during Pregnancy, Birth, and Infancy

Several healthy developmental processes such as pregnancy, fetal development, and infant development include a multitude of physiological changes: weight gain, hormonal, and metabolic changes, as well as immune changes. In this review, we present an additional important factor which both influences and is affected by these physiological processes-the microbiome. We summarize the known changes in microbiota composition at a variety of body sites including gut, vagina, oral cavity, and placenta, throughout pregnancy, fetal development, and early childhood. There is still a lot to be discovered; yet several pieces of research point to the healthy desired microbial changes. Future research is likely to unravel…

• MO
  Ministry of Science, Technology and Space
• MO
  Ministry of Health, State of Israel

  Award: 3-0000-10451
• FP
  FP7 People: Marie-Curie Actions

  Award: FP7-PEOPLE-2013