After more than a century of active research, the notion that the human fetal environment is
sterile and that the neonate's microbiome is acquired during and after birth was an accepted�…

Several healthy developmental processes such as pregnancy, fetal development, and infant
development include a multitude of physiological changes: weight gain, hormonal, and�…

For more than a century, the prenatal environment was considered sterile. Over the last few
years, findings obtained with next-generation sequencing approaches from samples of the�…

It has long been assumed that establishment of the fetal microbiome commences with the
birthing process. However, recent studies have found bacterial DNA in umbilical cord blood�…

Within the last 6 years, a research field has emerged that focuses on the characterization of
microbial communities in the prenatal intrauterine environment of humans and their putative�…

The long-held concept of fetus being nurtured in a sterile environment has been challenged
by many recent studies that have identified bacterial communities in meconium, amniotic�…

The human microbiome, the collective genome of the microbial community that is on and
within us, has recently been mapped. The initial characterization of healthy subjects has�…

While critical for normal development, the exact timing of establishment of the intestinal
microbiome is unknown. For example, although preterm labor and birth have been�…

The existence of a placental microbiota and in utero colonization of the fetus have been the
subjects of recent debate. The objective of this study was to determine whether the placental�…

The colonization of the gut with microbes in early life is critical to the developing newborn
immune system, metabolic function and potentially future health. Maternal microbes are�…