Mother's littlest helpers

摘要: Commensal bacteria underlie, in part, our nutritional status, immune function, and psychological well-being. The trillions of beneficial microbes within intestinal tract convert dietary nutrients, inhibit pathogen colonization, regulate processes, produce neural signals ( 1 , 2 ). Advances understanding the importance have motivated commercial development products intended to boost “good” commensals confer health benefits. Probiotic supplements contain live hoped subsequently colonize gut. Prebiotic nutrients are thought enhance good gastrointestinal microflora by preferentially nourishing microbes. Even “psychobiotics” being explored ameliorate symptoms psychiatric illness. These organisms influence brain through metabolites neuroactive compounds rodent models preliminary human studies 3 How most effectively be landscape architects microbial community, however, often remains unclear. An opportunity gain insights into how natural selection has shaped coevolution hosts can found mammalian mother-infant dyads, as microbiota ecologically engineered mothers breastmilk. Such leveraged improve clinical management technologies, enhancing not just infancy, but across life course 4 5