Relationship of the birth canal to the bacterial flora of the neonatal respiratory tract and skin

The role of parturition in establishing the bacterial flora of the neonate has been studied. Tho respiratory tract was sterile in nearly three quarters of the newborns, while S epldennidis and B subtilis found in the remaining infants were not consistently recovered from the corresponding cervical flora. With the contact plate technic, organisms were isolated from nearly all infants, but correlation with the cervical flora was poor. C albicans, found in 25% of the cervical flora, was observed in less than 1% of newborns. These studies demonstrate that the birth canal has a relatively limited role in establishing the Horn of the neonate’s skin and respiratory tract.