Birth Mode Does Not Determine the Presence of Shared Bacterial Strains between the Maternal Vaginal Microbiome and the Infant Stool Microbiome

Abstract

The importance of the gut microbiome in human health and disease is widely recognized, and there has been a growing appreciation that alterations in gut microbiome composition during a “critical window” of development may impact health in later life. Attempts to correct gut microbiome dysbiosis related to birth mode are underpinned by the assumption that the lack of exposure to maternal vaginal microbes during caesarean delivery is responsible for dysbiosis.