Babies-Born Naturally have Stronger Immune Responses than C-Section Born Infants

Humans are born germ-free. Yet, birth is normally the time when vitally important bacteria start to colonize the body including the gut, skin and lungs. Researchers have long suspected that this early colonization sets the course for one's later health. It could be, however, that a cesarean section prevents certain bacteria, ordinarily interacting with the baby's immune system, from being passed on from the mother to the new-born. Paul Wilmes, head of the Eco-Systems Biology research group at the LCSB, and his colleagues have now found the first evidence of this in a study of new-borns - half of whom were delivered by cesarean section. Wilmes reports: "We find specific bacterial substances that stimulate the immune system in vaginally born babies. In contrast, the immune stimulation in cesarean children is much lower either because the bacterial triggers are present at much lower levels or other bacterial substances hamper these initial immune reactions to happen."