Life Sciences Commons^™

A Critical Assessment Of The “Sterile Womb” And “In Utero Colonization” Hypotheses: Implications For Research On The Pioneer Infant Microbiome, Maria Elisa Perez-Muñoz, Marie-Claire Arrieta, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Jens Walter

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

After more than a century of active research, the notion that the human fetal environment is sterile and that the neonate’s microbiome is acquired during and after birth was an accepted dogma. However, recent studies using molecular techniques suggest bacterial communities in the placenta, amniotic fluid, and meconium from healthy pregnancies. These findings have led many scientists to challenge the “sterile womb paradigm” and propose that microbiome acquisition instead begins in utero, an idea that would fundamentally change our understanding of gut microbiota acquisition and its role in human development. In this review, we provide a critical assessment of the …