Examining the Impact of Delivery Mode on the Initial Colonization and Subsequent Development of the Gut Microbiome in Infants

This study explored the impact of delivery mode on the diversity of the infant gut microbiome. Four delivery groups were studied: vaginally delivered (VD), planned cesarean section (CSD), emergency cesarean section (ECSD), and vaginally born after previous cesarean (VBAC). The alpha and beta diversity of each delivery group was quantified and compared. Baby ID (uniqueness of each infant) and time (change in microbiome over time) covariates were also included to discover if delivery mode had an impact on the infant microbiome regardless of these covariates. Many significant group-wise and pairwise differences in alpha and beta diversity were found amongst the delivery groups.