‘Old Friends’ and learning to be friendly: How hygiene and social contact may affect the early-life gut microbiome and socioemotional development

Barth, Delaney Anne

‘Old Friends’ and learning to be friendly: How hygiene and social contact may affect the early-life gut microbiome and socioemotional development

dc.contributor.advisor	Giesbrecht, Gerald
dc.contributor.author	Barth, Delaney Anne
dc.contributor.committeemember	Arrieta, Marie Claire
dc.contributor.committeemember	Schwartz, Kelly Dean
dc.contributor.committeemember	Melin, Amanda Dawn
dc.contributor.committeemember	Giesbrecht, Gerald
dc.date	2024-11
dc.date.accessioned	2024-09-24T18:52:44Z
dc.date.available	2024-09-24T18:52:44Z
dc.date.issued	2024-09-20
dc.description.abstract	The human gut microbiome is a fundamental factor in human health and wellbeing. The development of the microbiome during early infancy is a critical process that has long-term implications for brain development and social behaviour. However, modern life may be limiting exposure to important microbes due to decreased contact with a wide range of microorganisms. The unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic further disrupted exposure, with increased hygiene practices and physical distancing policies limiting exposure to diverse microbes. The current study aimed to investigate the association between hygiene practices and social contact with features of the gut microbiome and metabolome in infants and their potential impact on socioemotional outcomes. Results showed that changes in social contact and hygiene practices associated with the diversity, composition and metabolomic environment of the gut microbiome in infants and there was evidence that changes in the gut microbiome associate with socioemotional development at 1 year of age. Additionally, the effect of hygiene practices on the microbiome was less than expected, while social contact proved to be a much more influential variable for the 3-month microbiome. Our findings suggest that the connections between early social interactions, the gut microbiome, and socioemotional development are complex, with social contact having a more significant impact than previously anticipated.
dc.identifier.citation	Barth, D. A. (2024). ‘Old Friends’ and learning to be friendly: how hygiene and social contact may affect the early-life gut microbiome and socioemotional development (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/119867
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Graduate Studies
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject	Microbiome
dc.subject	Metabolome
dc.subject	Child Development
dc.subject.classification	Microbiology
dc.subject.classification	Health Sciences
dc.subject.classification	Psychology--Developmental
dc.title	‘Old Friends’ and learning to be friendly: How hygiene and social contact may affect the early-life gut microbiome and socioemotional development
dc.type	master thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Medicine – Medical Sciences
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Master of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.