Early-Life Gut Microbiome Development: Microbial Program, Functional Maturation and Opportunities for Precision Intervention

The establishment of the gut microbiome during early life is one of the most consequential developmental processes in human biology, laying the groundwork for immune maturation, metabolic programming, and neural health that can echo across the entire lifespan. Recent advances in multi-omics technologies — metagenomics, metabolomics, and single-cell approaches — have revealed just how dynamic and finely choreographed microbial succession is during infancy. Yet despite this wealth of descriptive data, the underlying ecological principles that govern colonization, functional maturation, and host–microbe crosstalk remain incompletely understood, leaving a gap between observing microbial change and explaining why it happens and what it means for the host.This Research Topic aims to consolidate emerging discoveries on the dynamic development of the early-life gut microbiome, with particular attention to microbial transmission, ecological succession, functional maturation, host interaction, and microbiome-targeted interventions. We welcome original research, reviews, and perspectives that examine how early-life microbial communities are shaped by maternal factors, nutrition, delivery mode, antibiotic exposure, and environmental conditions — and, critically, how these early microbial trajectories go on to influence infant development and disease susceptibility later in life.By bringing together ecological, immunological, and clinical perspectives, this collection seeks to move the field from observation toward mechanism, and ultimately toward precision interventions that can support healthy microbiome development during this critical developmental window.We welcome research covering topics including but not limited to:-Mechanisms of microbial transmission from mother to infant, including vertical transmission routes and their timing-Ecological succession patterns of the infant gut microbiota from birth through early childhood-Impact of delivery mode (vaginal vs. cesarean) on initial microbial colonization-Role of infant nutrition (breastfeeding vs. formula feeding) in shaping microbial community structure-Effects of maternal diet, health status, and antibiotic exposure during pregnancy and lactation-Consequences of early-life antibiotic exposure on microbial diversity and resilience-Functional maturation of the microbiome and its metabolic output (short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, etc.)-Host–microbe interactions driving immune system education and tolerance-Links between early microbial trajectories and later disease susceptibility (allergy, asthma, obesity, -neurodevelopmental outcomes)-Emerging microbiome-targeted interventions (probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, fecal transfer) aimed at correcting dysbiotic trajectories Topic editors: Mengfan Ding, Bowen Li Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85468/early-life-gut-microbiome-development-microbial-program-functional-maturation-and-opportunities-for-precision-intervention