Naturally born babies 'respond better to vaccinations'

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Antibody levels after the meningitis vaccine were tested in 66 babies, and the experts found they were 1.7 times higher for “naturally delivered” babies, regardless of breastfeeding, compared with those delivered by C-section.

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“In the future, we may be able to supplement those bacteria to children born by C-section shortly after birth through, for example, mother-to-baby ‘faecal transplants’, or the use of specifically designed probiotics,” Prof Bogaert said.

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The gut microbiome is seeded at birth, developing rapidly over the first few months of life, and is influenced mostly by delivery mode, breastfeeding and antibiotic use.

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The team found a clear relationship between microbes in the gut of those babies and levels of antibodies.

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The baby acquires the bacteria through “natural birth” and human milk is needed to provide the sugars for these bacteria to thrive on.

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“We also know that our gut bacteria in early life drive the development of our immune system, and natural births are linked with reduced risks of developing inflammatory conditions, such as asthma.

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“It is therefore perhaps not really surprising that mode of delivery is also linked to responses to vaccinations.”

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“Critically, if reproduced, we will need to understand whether possible impacts of maternal delivery and feeding on immune development or vaccine responses can be restored by, for example, manipulating the microbiome.”

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