Gut microbial acquisition during the early stage of life is an extremely important event since it
affects the health status of the host. In this contest the healthy properties of the genus
Bifidobacterium have a central function in newborns.
The aim of this thesis was to explore the dynamics of the gut microbial colonization in newborns
and to suggest possible strategies to maintain or restore a correct balance of gut bacterial
population in infants. The first step of this work was to review the most recent studies on the use
of probiotics and prebiotics in infants. Secondly, in order to prevent or treat intestinal disorders
that may affect newborns, the capability of selected Bifidobacterium strains to reduce the amount
of Enterobacteriaceae and against the infant pathogen Streptococcus agalactiae was evaluated in
vitro. Furthermore, the ability of several commercial fibers to stimulate selectively the growth of
bifidobacterial strains was checked. Finally, the gut microbial composition in the early stage of
life in response to the intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) against group B Streptococcus
was studied using q-PCR, DGGE and next generation sequencing.
The results globally showed that Bifidobacterium breve B632 strain is the best candidate for the
use in a synbiotic product coupled to a mixture of two selected prebiotic fibers
(galactooligosaccharides and fructooligosaccharides) for gastrointestinal disorders in infants.
Moreover, the early gut microbial composition was affected by IAP treatment with infants
showing lower counts of Bifidobacterium spp. and Bacteroides spp. coupled to a decrement of
biodiversity of bacteria, compared to control infants. These studies have shown that IAP could
affect the early intestinal balance in infants and they have paved the way to the definition of new
strategies alternative to antibiotic treatment to control GBS infection in pregnant women.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unibo.it/oai:amsdottorato.cib.unibo.it:6832 |
| Date | 08 May 2015 |
| Creators | Mazzola, Giuseppe <1985> |
| Contributors | Di Gioia, Diana |
| Publisher | Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna |
| Source Sets | Università di Bologna |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Doctoral Thesis, PeerReviewed |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
Page generated in 0.0019 seconds