Editing Meconium (section)

== Sterility ==
The issue of whether meconium is sterile remains debated and is an area of ongoing research. Although some researchers have reported evidence of bacteria in meconium,<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Jiménez E, Marín ML, Martín R, Odriozola JM, Olivares M, Xaus J, Fernández L, Rodríguez JM |date=April 2008 |title=Is meconium from healthy newborns actually sterile? |journal=Research in Microbiology |doi=10.1016/j.resmic.2007.12.007 |pmid=18281199|volume=159 |issue=3 |pages=187–93|doi-access=free }}</ref> this has not been consistently confirmed. Other researchers have raised questions about whether these findings may be due to contamination after sample collection and that meconium is, in fact, sterile until after birth.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Perez-Muñoz ME, Arrieta MC, Ramer-Tait AE, Walter J |date=April 2017 |title=A critical assessment of the 'sterile womb' and 'in utero colonization' hypotheses: implications for research on the pioneer infant microbiome |journal=Microbiome |doi=10.1186/s40168-017-0268-4 |pmc=5410102 |pmid=28454555 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=48 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Further researchers have hypothesized that there may be bacteria in the womb, but these are a normal part of pregnancy and could have an important role in shaping the developing immune system and are not harmful to the baby.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Willyard C |date=January 2018 |title=Could baby's first bacteria take root before birth? |journal=Nature |bibcode=2018Natur.553..264W |doi=10.1038/d41586-018-00664-8 |pmid=29345664 |volume=553 |issue=7688 |pages=264–266|doi-access=free }}</ref>