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August 14, 2026NatureOpen Access

Maternal influences on infant gut microbiome and health

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Authors

TSTrishla SinhaUniversity Medical Center GroningenSBSiobhan BrushettUniversity Medical Center GroningenAFAsier Fernández-PatoUniversity Medical Center Groningen

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Overview

Prospective cohort study reveals maternal gut strain transmission and exposures shape infant gut development and eczema risk in mother-infant pairs, highlighting maternal microbial reservoirs.

Key Points

  • To determine how maternal gut, vaginal, and breast milk microbiomes and early-life environmental exposures influence the colonization and functional profile of the infant gut microbiome.
  • Metagenomically sequenced 4,526 longitudinal fecal samples across 714 mother–infant pairs from 12 weeks of pregnancy through 1 year postpartum in the Dutch Lifelines NEXT cohort.
  • Integrated 474 clinical and exposure variables with ultra-deep sequencing of maternal breast milk and vaginal microbiomes.
  • The maternal gut serves as the primary reservoir for infant gut strains, with transmission probability increasing with maternal species abundance, whereas vaginal and breast milk strains transmit only occasionally.
  • Delivery mode and feeding type act as primary drivers of infant gut microbial composition and functional profiles, with maternal gut microbiome profiles predicting infant eczema risk.
  • Maternal gut composition remains stable across pregnancy and postpartum with subtle shifts linked to diet, smoking, and infections, while home delivery (155 of 585 vaginal births) shows only moderate microbial association.

Cite This Study

Sinha et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7ec79cb70b84ec8b91421bhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10922-9
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