TY - JOUR

T1 - Maternal milk microbiota and oligosaccharides contribute to the infant gut microbiota assembly

AU - Laursen, Martin Frederik

AU - Pekmez, Ceyda Tugba

AU - Larsson, Melanie Wange

AU - Lind, Mads Vendelbo

AU - Yonemitsu, Chloe

AU - Larnkjær, Anni

AU - Mølgaard, Christian

AU - Bode, Lars

AU - Dragsted, Lars Ove

AU - Michaelsen, Kim F.

AU - Licht, Tine Rask

AU - Bahl, Martin Iain

N1 - CURIS 2021 NEXS 277

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Breastfeeding protects against diseases, with potential mechanisms driving this being human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and the seeding of milk-associated bacteria in the infant gut. In a cohort of 34 mother–infant dyads we analyzed the microbiota and HMO profiles in breast milk samples and infant’s feces. The microbiota in foremilk and hindmilk samples of breast milk was compositionally similar, however hindmilk had higher bacterial load and absolute abundance of oral-associated bacteria, but a lower absolute abundance of skin-associated Staphylococcus spp. The microbial communities within both milk and infant’s feces changed significantly over the lactation period. On average 33% and 23% of the bacterial taxa detected in infant’s feces were shared with the corresponding mother’s milk at 5 and 9 months of age, respectively, with Streptococcus, Veillonella and Bifidobacterium spp. among the most frequently shared. The predominant HMOs in feces associated with the infant’s fecal microbiota, and the dominating infant species B. longum ssp. infantis and B. bifidum correlated inversely with HMOs. Our results show that breast milk microbiota changes over time and within a feeding session, likely due to transfer of infant oral bacteria during breastfeeding and suggest that milk-associated bacteria and HMOs direct the assembly of the infant gut microbiota.

AB - Breastfeeding protects against diseases, with potential mechanisms driving this being human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and the seeding of milk-associated bacteria in the infant gut. In a cohort of 34 mother–infant dyads we analyzed the microbiota and HMO profiles in breast milk samples and infant’s feces. The microbiota in foremilk and hindmilk samples of breast milk was compositionally similar, however hindmilk had higher bacterial load and absolute abundance of oral-associated bacteria, but a lower absolute abundance of skin-associated Staphylococcus spp. The microbial communities within both milk and infant’s feces changed significantly over the lactation period. On average 33% and 23% of the bacterial taxa detected in infant’s feces were shared with the corresponding mother’s milk at 5 and 9 months of age, respectively, with Streptococcus, Veillonella and Bifidobacterium spp. among the most frequently shared. The predominant HMOs in feces associated with the infant’s fecal microbiota, and the dominating infant species B. longum ssp. infantis and B. bifidum correlated inversely with HMOs. Our results show that breast milk microbiota changes over time and within a feeding session, likely due to transfer of infant oral bacteria during breastfeeding and suggest that milk-associated bacteria and HMOs direct the assembly of the infant gut microbiota.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Breastfeeding

KW - Maternal milk microbiota

KW - Human milk oligosaccharides

KW - Infant gut microbiota

U2 - 10.1038/s43705-021-00021-3

DO - 10.1038/s43705-021-00021-3

M3 - Journal article

VL - 1

JO - ISME Communications

JF - ISME Communications

M1 - 21

ER -