For the last hundred years, scientists have believed that humans develop in a womb that remains sterile and completely isolated from the collection of bacteria, fungi and viruses that make us sick when we emerge into the outside world.
This theory was largely based on the fact that it was very difficult to grow live microorganisms collected from this part of the body in the lab – so scientists assumed there weren’t any to find in the womb.
However, recently there have been several important new findings in this area of research. My team at the University of Tennessee and two other groups showed new evidence that microorganisms are likely present inside the womb during normal development. Specifically, my team has discovered fungi in the gut of newborns at birth. Our work suggests that fungal DNA and possibly live fungi may cross the placenta from mother to fetus as a normal part of pregnancy.
Image by Sanjasy from Pixabay
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