Preemies' gut bacteria may depend more on gestational age than environment
Monday, August 11, 2014 - 16:30
in Health & Medicine
In infants born prematurely, researchers have found that the population of bacteria in babies’ gastrointestinal tracts may depend more on their biological makeup and gestational age at birth than on environmental factors. The scientists discovered that bacterial communities assemble in an orderly, choreographed progression, with the pace of that assembly slowest in infants born most prematurely.