THIS INVENTION RELATES TO THE USE OF AN OLIGOSACCHARIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF LACTO-N-TETRAOSE, LACTO-N-NEOTETRAOSE, LACTO-N-HEXAOSE, LACTO-N-NEOHEXAOSE, PARA-LACTO-N-HEXAOSE, PARA-LACTO-N-NEOHEXAOSE, LACTO-N- OCTAOSE, LACTO-N-NEOOCTAOSE, ISO-LACTO-N-OCTAOSE, PARA- LACTO-N-OCTAOSE AND LACTO-N-DECAOSEIN THE MANUFACTURE OF A MEDICAMENT FOR INFANTS OR A THERAPEUTIC NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION FOR INFANTS FOR MODULATING IMMUNE RESPONSES IN A NEONATAL INFANT. THE INVENTION EXTENDS TO THE USE OF SUCH AN OLIGOSACCHARIDE FOR MODULATING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM OF A NEONATAL INFANT TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT IN THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF THE LIFE OF THE INFANT OF A BENEFICIAL INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA COMPARABLE WITH THAT FOUND IN BREAST FED INFANTS AND FOR REDUCING THE RISK OF SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF ALLERGY IN THE INFANT.
