Isolation can have lasting effects on the composition of microbes in the gut, but links to other health conditions are still poorly understood.

Babies born during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic have a different composition of gut microbes compared with those born before the introduction of lockdowns in March 2020, according to a handful of studies investigating the effects of pandemic control measures on infant health.

The gut microbiome — the colony of microorganisms that reside in the digestive tract — is important to many aspects of bodily function and development, and its imbalance has been linked to psychiatric disorders, skin conditions and gastrointestinal issues.

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