Scientists caution: Climate change sparks alarming surge in pre-term births

Researchers have been taken aback by the biological differences observed in babies born during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A study in the journal Allergy has shown that these “Covid babies” exhibit changes in their gut microbiome, the community of beneficial and harmful microorganisms in the digestive system. This finding is particularly notable as these children transition into their toddler years and beyond.

The research, conducted by a team from University College Cork in Ireland, involved the analysis of fecal samples from 351 Irish infants born at the onset of the pandemic between March and May 2020. These samples were then compared with those from infants born before the pandemic.

One key discovery was that alterations in the gut microbiota of these pandemic-era babies correlated with a decreased incidence of allergic conditions compared to those born pre-pandemic.

By age one, only 5% of the pandemic-born babies had developed food allergies, significantly lower than the 22.8% rate observed in babies born before the pandemic. The researchers suggest that this could be due to the transmission of beneficial microbes from mothers to their children during pregnancy, along with additional microbial exposure post-birth.

Furthermore, the study indicated that babies born during the pandemic required less antibiotic treatment for illnesses.

Liam O’Mahony, a professor of immunology at University College Cork and co-senior author of the study, described these findings as “fascinating.”

Jonathan Hourihane, a paediatric consultant at Children’s Health Ireland Temple Street and also a co-senior author, highlighted the study’s implication that early life social isolation and reduced exposure to factors like antibiotics could influence the development of allergies by affecting the gut microbiome.

In related research focusing on the broader impacts of COVID-19 on children, scientists in the United States have found elevated levels of a biomarker associated with vascular injury in pediatric patients diagnosed with the virus. This work, published in Blood Advances, reviewed the cardiovascular health of 50 children hospitalized with COVID-19 between April and July 2020. Dr. David Teachey, from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, noted that while severe disease is rare in children with COVID-19, the virus might have other significant effects worth studying.