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[00:00.19] We come out of the womb sterile, but that doesn't last for long.

[00:03.64] All the nooks and crannies of the human body soon become home to microbial life.

[00:08.95] In this study, scientists took stool samples from 1,000 newborns.

[00:13.20] Those first colonised by Bifidobacterium longum were half as likely to end up in hospital with a lung infection than those with different starter bacteria.

[00:23.58] It's the first time the way our microbial ecosystem forms has been shown to reduce infections.

[00:30.22] The researchers at UCL and the Sanger Institute said it was a phenomenal finding.

[00:35.27] Early life is a critical period for developing the immune system and these latest findings could lead to the development of new therapies similar to a probiotic yoghurt to give good bacteria to babies.