Nursery School is a Hotbed for Baby Microbiome Development, Study Finds
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A baby’s developing gut microbiome is significantly shaped by interactions with peers at nursery school, even within the first month of attendance, according to a new analysis.
Infants are born with a relatively undeveloped gut microbiome, but it rapidly expands after birth, largely through transmission from the mother. Though, groundbreaking research published today in Nature reveals that social interaction-specifically, attending nursery-plays a surprisingly powerful role in building a diverse and healthy microbial community.
The Nursery Effect: Peer-to-Peer Microbial Transmission
The study, led by researchers at the University of Trento in Italy, tracked the gut microbiomes of 43 infants throughout their first year of nursery school. Researchers found that the amount of microorganisms transmitted between babies increased steadily over the year. After just four months,infants already shared 15-20% of their microbial species with one another.
“That was higher than the proportion of all the microbes that they had acquired from birth until that point from the family,” explains Nicola Segata, a microbiologist at the University of Trento. This suggests that nursery school provides a unique environment for microbial exchange, perhaps exceeding the influence of the family environment in the early stages of life.
The researchers emphasize that diet at nursery also contributes to these changes, but the sheer extent of microbial transmission between babies highlights the importance of social interaction in shaping a healthy microbiome.
How Babies Acquire Their Microbes
While a fetus is thought to have a largely sterile gut, the microbiome begins to develop rapidly after birth, primarily through microbial transmission from the mother. Existing research demonstrates that individuals living together tend to share similar microbial strains.However,the specific changes occurring in a developing microbiome during the first few years of life remained largely unknown until now.
To address this knowledge gap, Segata and his team meticulously examined the microbiomes of infants before, during, and after their first year of nursery in trento, Italy. They enrolled babies who were meeting for the first time, capitalizing on a period when their immune systems are still developing and more susceptible to acquiring new microbial strains.
The team analyzed fecal samples from the infants, and also from 10 nursery staff and family members-39 mothers, 30 fathers, 7 siblings, 3 dogs, and 2 cats-to create a complete picture of microbial transmission. Samples were collected weekly until the Christmas break, with continued monitoring for some infants extending to July.Follow-up samples were taken in July and again a year after the study began.
Siblings and Microbial Diversity
The analysis revealed that infants with siblings received more microbes from their siblings than from their parents. These infants also tended to have a more diverse microbiota overall and acquired fewer bacterial strains from their nursery peers. This suggests that existing family relationships can influence the impact of nursery school on a baby’s microbiome.
researchers were also able to map the transmission of specific microbial species between individuals. As an example, Segata described a strain of bacteria called Akkermansia muciniphila being passed from a mother to her infant, then from the infant to another baby, and finally back to both of that baby’s parents. This illustrates the complex network of microbial exchange occurring within these communities.
The findings underscore the critical role of early social interactions in shaping a baby’s gut microbiome, with implications for long-term health and development. This research builds on previous findings, such as studies demonstrating that a “poo milkshake” – fecal microbiota transplantation – can boost the microbiome of babies born via C-section.
This study provides compelling evidence that nursery school isn’t just a place for learning and socialization; it’s a crucial environment for building a robust and diverse microbial foundation for life.
