This invention relates to the use of an oligosaccharide selected from the groupconsisting of lactc -N-tetraose, lacio-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-decaoseinthe manufacture of a medicament for infants or a therapeutic nutritional compositionfor infants for modulating immune responses in a neonatal infant. The inventionextends to the use of such an oligosaccharide for modulating the immune systemof a neonatal infant to promote the development in the first few weeks of the lifeof the infant of a beneficial intestinal microbiota comparable with that foundin breast fed infants and for reducing the risk of subsequent development of allergyin the infant.
