Early infant feeding and micro-ecology of the gut.

Newborn infants are rapidly colonized by both aerobic and and anaerobic bacteria, initially with about 50% of each type. Several factors related both to the infant and its environment influence the composition of the intestinal microflora quantitatively as well as qualitatively. Major ecological disturbances are observed in newborn infants treated with antimicrobial agents. One way of minimizing the ecological disturbances, which may be seen in infants treated in neonatal intensive care units, is to provide them with fresh breast milk from their mothers and to use antimicrobial therapy only under strict clinical indications.