- Babies born during pandemic lockdowns have altered gut microbiomes
- Only 17% of infants born during lockdown required antibiotics at one year of age
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Lockdowns during the Covid pandemic led to two “intriguing” changes in babies’ bodies that may have protected them from illness and allergies, a study has found.
Researchers at University College Cork in Ireland found that children born during the coronavirus crisis had altered gut microbiomes – the ecosystem of “good” and “bad” bacteria in the gut that aid digestion, destroy harmful bacteria and The immune system helps to control it.
The biome was found to be more beneficial in infants.
Researchers believe this led to “Covid babies” having fewer allergic conditions such as food allergies than expected compared to pre-pandemic babies, the scientists noted.
They also needed fewer antibiotics to treat illnesses.
Babies born during a lockdown have an altered gut microbiome, researchers at University College Cork in Ireland have found
Researchers analyzed stool samples from 351 Irish babies born in the first three months of the pandemic, between March and May 2020, and compared them with samples from babies born before the pandemic.
Information on diet, home environment, and health was collected using online questionnaires to account for variables.
Stool samples were collected at six, 12, and 24 months and allergy testing was performed at 12 and 24 months.
The Covid newborns were found to have more beneficial microbes received from their mother after birth, which could serve as a defense against allergic diseases.
When individuals have a disrupted gut microbiome, this can lead to the development of food allergies.
Babies born during the pandemic had lower allergy rates: About five percent of Covid babies had developed a food allergy by one year of age, compared to 22.8 percent for pre-Covid babies.
Researchers said mothers passed the beneficial microbes to their babies during pregnancy and that they picked up more microbes from the environment after birth.
The study also found that babies born during the lockdown had fewer infections because they were not exposed to germs and bacteria.
This meant they needed less antibiotics – which kill good bacteria – resulting in a better microbiome.
The lockdown babies were also breastfed for longer, which brought additional benefits.
Of the Covid babies, only 17 percent of infants required an antibiotic by the age of one.
In the pre-pandemic cohort, 80 percent of babies had now taken antibiotics by 12 months of age.
This is an “intriguing result,” said co-author Liam O'Mahony, professor of immunology at University College Cork, and “correlates with higher levels of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria.”
Professor Jonathan Hourihane, consultant pediatrician at Children's Health Ireland Temple Street and co-author of the study, said: “This study provides a new perspective on the impact of early life social isolation on the gut microbiome.”
“In particular, the lower allergy rates in newborns during the lockdown may highlight the impact of lifestyle and environmental factors, such as frequent use of antibiotics, on the increase in allergic diseases.”
The researchers hope to re-examine the children when they are five years old to determine whether the early changes in the gut microbiome have long-term effects.
The study was published in the journal Allergy.