Influence of Early Life Factors, including breast milk Composition, on the Microbiome of Infants Born to Mothers with and without Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background And Aims: Herein we analysed the influence of early life factors, including breast milk composition, on the development of the intestinal microbiota of infants born to mothers with and without IBD.

Methods: The MECONIUM [Exploring MEChanisms Of disease traNsmission In Utero through the Microbiome] study is a prospective cohort study consisting of pregnant women with or without IBD and their infants. Longitudinal stool samples were collected from babies and analysed using 16s rRNA sequencing and faecal calprotectin.

Longitudinal Changes in Fecal Calprotectin Levels Among Pregnant Women With and Without Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Their Babies.

Background & Aims: The effect of pregnancy on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains poorly understood. We aimed to monitor intestinal inflammation using fecal calprotectin (FC) in pregnant women and their babies during early life.

Methods: Pregnant women with or without IBD and their infants were prospectively enrolled.

Infants born to mothers with IBD present with altered gut microbiome that transfers abnormalities of the adaptive immune system to germ-free mice.

Background And Aims: Prenatal and early life bacterial colonisation is thought to play a major role in shaping the immune system. Furthermore, accumulating evidence links early life exposures to the risk of developing IBD later in life. We aimed to assess the effect of maternal IBD on the composition of the microbiome during pregnancy and on the offspring's microbiome.