Prenatal stress alters bacterial colonization of the gut in infant monkeys
- PMID: 15085020
- DOI: 10.1097/00005176-200404000-00009
Prenatal stress alters bacterial colonization of the gut in infant monkeys
Abstract
Objective: The hypothesis that prenatal stress lowers the levels of protective microflora and increases the risk for postpartum Gram-negative pathogens was tested in infant monkeys.
Methods: Female monkeys were left undisturbed or were stressed during pregnancy using an acoustical startle paradigm for 6 weeks either early or late in their 24-week gestation. Several types of intestinal microflora were repeatedly enumerated by fecal culture while infants were reared normally by their mothers.
Results: Significant changes in microflora concentrations occurred during the first 6 months of life. The profile of total aerobes and facultative anaerobes was biphasic, with peak concentrations occurring between 2 and 16 weeks of age. The numbers of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli were low at 2 days after birth but rapidly increased to a peak between 8 and 16 weeks of age. Although similar temporal patterns were evident in all infants, prenatal stress reduced the overall numbers of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.
Conclusions: Moderate disturbance during pregnancy was sufficient to alter the intestinal microflora in the newborn infant. These alterations could result in enhanced susceptibility to infection and suggest a mechanism for some effects of maternal pregnancy conditions on infant health.
Comment in
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Bacterial colonization of the neonatal gut.J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2004 Apr;38(4):389-91. doi: 10.1097/00005176-200404000-00005. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2004. PMID: 15085016 No abstract available.
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