Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012:3:425-47.
doi: 10.1146/annurev-food-022811-101120. Epub 2012 Jan 3.

The early settlers: intestinal microbiology in early life

Petra A M J Scholtens  1 , Raish Oozeer, Rocio Martin, Kaouther Ben Amor, Jan Knol
Affiliations
Review

The early settlers: intestinal microbiology in early life

Petra A M J Scholtens et al. Annu Rev Food Sci Technol. 2012.

Abstract

The human intestinal microbiota forms an integral part of normal human physiology, and disturbances of the normal gut microbiology have been implicated in many health and disease issues. Because newborns are essentially sterile, their microbiota must establish and develop from the very first days of life. The first colonizers play an important role in the development of the ecosystem and may impact the long-term composition and activity of the microbiota. These first settlers obviously develop and proliferate dependent on host characteristics and diet, but other factors can also significantly contribute to this vital biological process. Considering the importance of the microbiota for the human immune, metabolic, and neurological systems, it is important to understand the dynamics and driving determinants of this development. This review gives a global overview of our current understanding of the different factors impacting the intestinal microbiology in early life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles