Babies at nursery shape each other’s microbiomes

The study of the gut microbiome of infants in nurseries revealed that peer-to-peer interaction during the first years of life is a prominent route of acquisition of microbial strain diversity. The impact of nursery-acquired microorganisms is comparable to that of microorganisms sourced, starting at birth, from family members. Strains of commensal gut bacteria spread among babies and their families in a matter of months.