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The gut microbiome is established in the newborn period and is recognised to interact with the host to influence metabolism. Different environmental factors that are encountered during this critical period may influence the gut microbial composition, potentially impacting upon later disease risk, such as asthma, metabolic disorder, and inflammatory bowel disease. The sterility dogma of the foetus in utero is challenged by studies that identified bacteria, bacterial DNA, or bacterial products in meconium, amniotic fluid, and the placenta; indicating the initiation of maternal-to-offspring microbial colonisation in utero. This narrative review aims to provide a better understanding of factors that affect the development of the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome during prenatal, perinatal to postnatal life, and their reciprocal relationship with GI tract development in neonates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This editorial aims to provide a concise summary of the factors involved in the dynamics of microbiome establishment and maturation. At the same time, it briefly updates the current knowledge and opens new questions in this regard. Many factors act as drivers of the microbiota's development at both pre- and post-natal levels (e.g., maternal factors, antibiotic usage, type of delivery, dietary pattern, post-natal feeding type, etc.). However, it is interesting to research into its real impact, the relationship between these external modulators, and how to modulate them. The are great opportunities for new research in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]