Strain-resolved community genomic analysis of gut microbial colonization in a premature infant.

ABSTRACT: The intestinal microbiome is a critical determinant of human health. Alterations in its composition have been correlated with chronic disorders, such as obesity and inflammatory bowel disease in adults, and may be associated with neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants. Increasing evidence suggests that strain-level genomic variation may underpin distinct ecological trajectories within mixed populations, yet there have been few strain-resolved analyses of genotype-phenotype connections in the context of the human ecosystem. Here, we document strain-level genomic divergence during the first 3 wk of life within the fecal microbiota of an infant born at 28-wk gestation. We observed three compositional phases during colonization, and reconstructed and intensively curated popula

SUBMITTER: Morowitz MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3024690 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature