SynthesisPloS one2022
Microbial effects of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics after Caesarean section or exposure to antibiotics in the first week of life: A systematic review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Infant gut microbiota following cesarean section in the Middle East: a multidisciplinary expert consensus based on a targeted narrative review.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Pooled it
- The Impact of Cesarean Section Delivery on Intestinal Microbiota: Mechanisms, Consequences, and Perspectives-A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Pooled it
- Human milk microbiota: origins, determinants, and roles in maternal-infant microbial transmission and infant microbiome assembly.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- Microbial micronutrient sharing, gut redox balance and keystone taxa as a basis for a new perspective to solutions targeting health from the gut.Gut microbes · 2025Review
- Daily probiotic supplementation on plaque pH and gingival health in adults: A clinical study.Bioinformation · 2025Article
- Review
- Shaping Microbiota During the First 1000 Days of Life.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsDisruption of the developing microbiota by Caesarean birth or early exposure to antibiotics may impact long-term health outcomes, which can potentially be prevented by nutritional supplements. This systematic review aimed to summarise the evidence regarding the effects of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics on the intestinal microbiota composition of term infants born by Caesarean section or exposed to antibiotics in the first week of life.
methodsA systematic search was performed from inception to August 2022 in Medline and Embase. Two researchers independently performed title and abstract screening (n = 12,230), full-text screening (n = 46) and critical appraisal. We included randomised controlled trials which included term-born infants who were born following Caesarean section or who were exposed to postpartum antibiotics in the first week of life, pre-, pro- or synbiotics were administered <6 weeks after birth and outcome(s) consisted of microbiota analyses.
resultsTwelve randomised controlled trials investigating Caesarean born infants and one randomised controlled trial including infants exposed to antibiotics were included. Group sizes varied from 11 to 230 with 1193 infants in total. Probiotic (n = 7) or synbiotic (n = 3) supplementation significantly increased the abundance of the supplemented bacterial species (of the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus genus), and there was a decrease in Enterobacteriaceae, especially <4 weeks of age. At phylum level, Actinobacteria (two studies), Proteobacteria (one study) and Firmicutes (one study) increased after probiotic supplementation. In three studies on prebiotics, two studies reported a significant increase in Bifidobacteria and one study found a significant increase in Enterobacteriaceae. DISCUSSION: Prebiotic, probiotic and synbiotic supplements seem to restore dysbiosis after Caesarean section towards a microbial signature of vaginally born infants by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria. However, given the variety in study products and study procedures, it is yet too early to advocate specific products in clinical settings.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.