RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Antibiotics, birth mode, and diet shape microbiome maturation during early life JF Science Translational Medicine FD American Association for the Advancement of Science SP 343ra82 OP 343ra82 DO 10.1126/scitranslmed.aad7121 VO 8 IS 343 A1 Bokulich, Nicholas A. A1 Chung, Jennifer A1 Battaglia, Thomas A1 Henderson, Nora A1 Jay, Melanie A1 Li, Huilin A1 D. Lieber, Arnon A1 Wu, Fen A1 Perez-Perez, Guillermo I. A1 Chen, Yu A1 Schweizer, William A1 Zheng, Xuhui A1 Contreras, Monica A1 Dominguez-Bello, Maria Gloria A1 Blaser, Martin J. YR 2016 UL http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/8/343/343ra82.abstract AB The intestinal “microbiota,” that is, the community of microbes inhabiting the human intestinal tract, undergoes many changes during the first 2 years of life. Bokulich et al. now show that this pattern of development is altered in children who are delivered by cesarean section, fed formula, or treated with antibiotics, compared to those babies who were born vaginally, breast-fed, or unexposed to antibiotics. Future studies will determine whether these disturbances influence the health of these babies.Early childhood is a critical stage for the foundation and development of both the microbiome and host. Early-life antibiotic exposures, cesarean section, and formula feeding could disrupt microbiome establishment and adversely affect health later in life. We profiled microbial development during the first 2 years of life in a cohort of 43 U.S. infants and identified multiple disturbances associated with antibiotic exposures, cesarean section, and formula feeding. These exposures contributed to altered establishment of maternal bacteria, delayed microbiome development, and altered α-diversity. These findings illustrate the complexity of early-life microbiome development and its sensitivity to perturbation.