Vaginal swabbing of new-born babies is a questionable practice based on a misunderstanding of the risks of caesarean section, researchers say today following a major investigation of the issue.
Scientists, using DNA analysis, concluded that babies born by natural means largely inherit gut bacteria from their mothers, not vaginal bacteria.
They also identified new differences between the gut bacteria of caesarean babies and others – suggesting there was strong evidence they acquired many "health-associated" bacteria, including those with antimicrobial resistance.
The findings were published in Nature and involved analysis of 1,679 samples of gut bacteria from 600 healthy babies and 175 mothers.
Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, University College London and the University of Birmingham worked together on the project.
Researcher Dr Trevor Lawley, from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: “This is the largest genomic investigation of new-born babies’ microbiomes to date. We discovered that the mode of delivery had a great impact on the gut bacteria of new-born babies, with transmission of bacteria from mother to baby occurring during vaginal birth.
"Further understanding of which species of bacteria help create a healthy baby microbiome could enable us to create bacterial therapies.”
Fellow researcher Professor Peter Brocklehurst, from Birmingham University, added: “The first weeks of life are a critical window of development of the baby’s immune system, but we know very little about it. We urgently need to follow up this study, looking at these babies as they grow to see if early differences in the microbiome lead to any health issues."
Obstetricians said the findings should not deter women from having a caesarean delivery.
Dr Alison Wright, vice-president of The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: “In many cases, a Caesarean is a life-saving procedure, and can be the right choice for a woman and her baby. The exact role of the microbiome in the new-born and what factors can change it are still uncertain, so we don’t think this study should deter women from having a caesarean.
"This study shows that more research is required to improve our understanding of this important area.”
Yan Shao et al. Stunted gut microbiota and increased pathogen colonisation associated with caesarean birth. Nature 18 September 2019; doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1560-1
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