In the present study, we were interested in the impact of delivery mode on the establishment of the newborns' gut microbiota. We characterized the isolated bacteria from the infants' stools from the population of western Algeria (Sidi- Bel- Abbés). Details regarding the mode of delivery have been collected.
Different approaches were used for the identification of the bacterial strains isolated. A first screening of the isolates was carried out on the basis of phenotypic criteria.
The results of the statistical analysis showed a homogeneous distribution, for the four genera, between the stool samples of infants born by cesarean section and those born vaginally; Enterococcus and Staphylococcus are the dominant genera in the infants' stool born by cesarean section (73.3% and 40% respectively) and in the infants' stool's born vaginally (73.3% and 13.3% respectively), Lactobacillus (60% and 86.67% respectively) and in small proportion the genus Streptococcus (13.3% and 40% respectively). Our results showed that the mode of delivery plays an important role in the establishment of the intestinal microbiota in infants. Other external and internal factors related to the host can also influence this process.
According to our literature investigations, this preliminary study is the first to compare the bacterial communities of the stools of infants in the two groups of the Algerian population. To complete our study, it would be interesting to expand the sampling and identify the different bacterial strains in order to more precisely determine the bacterial diversity in our population.