Infant microbiome: First gut bacteria may have ‘lasting impact’ on risk of chronic diseases

The order in which certain bacterial groups arrive in our gut after birth may have a lasting impact on how our microbiome looks in adulthood – and may be linked to later risk of chronic diseases, say researchers. 

The findings, reported in eLife​, show that the first bacteria introduced into the gut have a lasting impact on the shape of our microbiome and may impact the risk of chronic conditions and disease states.