Microbiome in the first 1000 days: Multi-Omic Interactions, Physiologic Effects, and Clinical Implications

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Background

Initial colonization of the human intestinal microbiota is of paramount importance, playing a key role in immune, nutritional, metabolic and neurological development. With breastfeeding, the newborn receives beneficial bacteria to the intestinal microbiota, in addition to oligosaccharides, proteins, defense cells, among other components, that aid in neonatal health, and can prevent diseases and sepsis. The first years of life are pointed as a window of acquisition and tolerance to the microbiological community and its relation to the infant immune system. In this way, the term “First 1000 days of life” was proposed as a guideline for baby's health care, from conception to the second year of life.

During childhood, lack of breastfeeding, use of antibiotics, exposure to environmental contaminants, and a disbalance diet, select commensal members or pathobionts of the microbiota, to the detriment of symbionts. Thus, the presence of Gram negative bacteria and the consequent unbalanced production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) can lead to disruption of the intestinal barrier, increasing the intestinal permeability and tissue absorption of bacterial metabolites These events are directly related to the local and systemic inflammatory response, with a consequent breakdown of systemic homeostasis and a significant impact on the baby's adult life, such as the manifestation of inflammatory and atopic diseases, diabetes, obesity and allergies.

Likewise, preterm, and low birth weight neonates admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) are even more susceptible to environmental influences. These infants are treated with antibiotics, prolonged parenteral nutrition (PN) and longtime starvation and remain in NICU for long periods. These environmental factors associated with feeding difficulties reduce bowel colonization by symbiotic bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, which are important in the intestinal maturation process of infants, leading to an abnormal colonization of the gastrointestinal tract.

Since an aberrant microbiome community in the early life could be associated to the increased risk to develop some diseases, a better understanding of how the first 1000 days of life can influence on the baby’s health process and how it could reflect on the adult life is necessary. An integrative approach of multifactorial evidence in microbiome establishment must be explored, discussing the multio-omic interactions, physiologic effects, and clinical implications. The aim of the present Research Topic is to discuss the multifactorial aspects that modulate the microbiome in the first 1000 days of baby´s life and its possible outcomes and perspectives.

- Infant´s Microbiome in multiple sites
Despite what we already know about gut microbiome, what is the role of other infants’ site in microbiome establishment during this period?
- Medications
Influence of antibiotics and other medications on infants´ microbiome modulation.
- Prematurity
Specific aspects of preterm microbiome: environmental exposure and acquisition of pathobiontic microorganisms, sepsis, diet and its impact in the newborn microbiome and immune maturation.
- Mother´s milk
Role of the breastfeeding in microbiome colonization process and its relationship to microbial metabolic pathways, breast milk as a resource of oligosaccharides and its prebiotics effects.
- Diet
Newborn diet diversification and microbiome modulation, diet influence in microbial metabolite production and new diet perspectives in the first 1000 days.
- Gut-Brain axis
Newborn microbiome and its relation to the neurodevelopment, brain disorders and executive functions and social skills development during the early infancy.
- COVID-19
Effects of viral infection in microbiome establishment, effects of cytokine storm and direct gut viral infection

Keywords: Infants’ microbiome, first 1000 days, gut-brain axis, breast milk, prematurity, medication, COVID-19, diet and environment influence, multi-omics approach

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