Maternal and Breast Milk Influences on the Infant Gut Microbiome, Enteric Health and Growth Outcomes of Rhesus Monkeys.

Objectives: Gut bacteria play an essential role during infancy and are strongly influenced by the mode of birth and feeding. A primate model was used to investigate the benefits of exposure to the mother or conversely the negative impact of early nursery rearing on microbial colonization.

Method: Rectal swabs were obtained from rhesus macaques born vaginally and mother-reared (MR, N = 35) or delivered primarily via cesarean-section and human-reared (HR, N = 19).