microbes

See the following -

Babies' Immune Systems May Stand Down To Let Good Microbes Grow

Rob Stein | Shots | November 6, 2013

Here's possible solace for parents who are up at night with a baby who gets sick all the time: There appears to be a good reason why infant immune systems don't fight off germs. Read More »

From Birth, Our Microbes Become As Personal As A Fingerprint

Rob Stein | Shots | September 9, 2013

Look in the mirror and you won't see your microbiome. But it's there with you from the day you are born. Over time, those bacteria, viruses and fungi multiply until they outnumber your own cells 10 to 1. Read More »

Modern Medicine May Not Be Doing Your Microbiome Any Favors

Staff Writer | NPR Books | April 14, 2014

There are lots of theories about why food allergies, asthma, celiac disease and intestinal disorders like Crohn's disease have been on the rise. Dr. Martin Blaser speculates that it may be connected to the overuse of antibiotics, which has resulted in killing off strains of bacteria that typically live in the gut. Read More »

The Way You’re Born Can Mess With The Microbes You Need To Survive

Martin J. Blaser | Wired | April 3, 2014

Throughout the animal kingdom, mothers transfer microbes to their young while giving birth. [...] [For] millennia, mammalian babies have acquired founding populations of microbes by passing through their mothers’ vagina. This microbial handoff is also a critical aspect of infant health in humans. Today it is in peril. Read More »