From research Finlay said these findings need to be replicated in larger groups and in different populations. He said the researchers also want to know if all four bacteria are protective, or just one or two.
"There could be other microbes that have a similar function, but we don't know that yet," Finlay said.
Turvey cautioned that treatment with bacteria is a long way off. "We are not ready for that yet," he said. "We know very little about these bacteria, but we are working to see if that might be a safe option to prevent this disease."
It's still not known how these bacteria get into the gut, Franco said. "But it shows how something so natural can make a big difference in a child's life," she said.