New Insights into the Composition of the Early-Life Gut Microbiome: A Metagenomic Analysis of Fecal Samples in Children Up to 18 Months of Age
Egija Zelca, Dita Gudra, Daiga Karklina, Maija Ustinova, Megija Lunge, Davids Fridmanis, Ingrida Rumba-Rozenfelde, Ilva Daugule · 2026
Read New Insights into the Composition of the Early-Life Gut Microbiome: A Metagenomic Analysis of Fecal Samples in Children Up to 18 Months of Age by Egija Zelca, Dita Gudra, Daiga Karklina, Maija Ustinova, Megija Lunge, Davids Fridmanis, Ingrida Rumba-Rozenfelde, Ilva Daugule (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13591165.txt.
Description
Gut microbes in the first months of life are mapped by Zelca and co-authors in a 2026 study. Ninety-one healthy children up to eighteen months old, seen at basic care centers, took part. Parents answered a survey and brought a stool sample from each child. Deep gene sequencing read the full mix of microbes and viruses in each sample.
Three large microbe groups made up most of the gut mix. Two Bifidobacterium species led the list, a pattern that fits the age group well. Most viruses found were bacteria-infecting types, not human pathogens. Dozens of newly noted microbe types shifted how samples group. The map gives doctors a baseline for judging infant gut health.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Egija Zelca, Dita Gudra, Daiga Karklina, Maija Ustinova, Megija Lunge, Davids Fridmanis, Ingrida Rumba-Rozenfelde, Ilva Daugule |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 36 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |