Dataset Information

The Composition of Human Milk and Infant Faecal Microbiota Over the First Three Months of Life: A Pilot Study.

ABSTRACT: Human milk contains a diverse array of bioactives and is also a source of bacteria for the developing infant gut. The aim of this study was to characterize the bacterial communities in human milk and infant faeces over the first 3 months of life, in 10 mother-infant pairs. The presence of viable Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in human milk was also evaluated. MiSeq sequencing revealed a large diversity of the human milk microbiota, identifying over 207 bacterial genera in milk samples. The phyla Proteobacteria and Firmicutes and the genera Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus were the predominant bacterial groups. A core of 12 genera represented 81% of the microbiota relative abundance in milk samples at week 1, 3 and 6, decreasing to 73% at week 12. Genera shared between infant faeces and human milk samples accounted for 70-88% of the total relative abundance in infant faecal samples, supporting the hypothesis of vertical transfer of bacteria from milk to the infant gut. In addition, identical strains of Bifidobacterium breve and Lactobacillus plantarum were isolated from the milk and faeces of one mother-infant pair. Vertical transfer of bacteria via breastfeeding may contribute to the initial establishment of the microbiota in the developing infant intestine.

SUBMITTER: Murphy K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5240090 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The Composition of Human Milk and Infant Faecal Microbiota Over the First Three Months of Life: A Pilot Study.

Murphy Kiera K Curley David D O'Callaghan Tom F TF O'Shea Carol-Anne CA Dempsey Eugene M EM O'Toole Paul W PW Ross R Paul RP Ryan C Anthony CA Stanton Catherine C

Scientific reports 20170117

Human milk contains a diverse array of bioactives and is also a source of bacteria for the developing infant gut. The aim of this study was to characterize the bacterial communities in human milk and infant faeces over the first 3 months of life, in 10 mother-infant pairs. The presence of viable Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in human milk was also evaluated. MiSeq sequencing revealed a large diversity of the human milk microbiota, identifying over 207 bacterial genera in milk samples. The ph ...[more]

PMID: 28094284

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Many biologically active factors are present in human milk including proteins, lipids, immune factors, and hormones. The milk composition varies over time and shows large inter-individual variability. This study examined variations of human milk immune factors and cortisol concentrations in the first three months post-partum, and their potential associations with maternal psychosocial distress. METHODS:Seventy-seven healthy mothers with full term pregnancies were enrolled, of which 51 mothers collected morning milk samples at 2, 6 and 12 weeks post-delivery. Maternal psychosocial distress was assessed at 6 weeks post-delivery using questionnaires for stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Immune factors were determined using multiplex immunoassays and included innate immunity factors (IL1β, IL6, IL12, IFNγ, TNFα), acquired immunity factors (IL2, IL4, IL10, IL13, IL17), chemokines (IL8, Groα, MCP1, MIP1β), growth factors (IL5, IL7, GCSF, GMCSF, TGFβ2) and immunoglobulins (IgA, total IgG, IgM). Cortisol was quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A linear mixed effects model was fit to test whether stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms individually predicted human milk cortisol concentrations after accounting for covariates. Repeated measurement analyses were used to compare women with high (n = 13) versus low psychosocial distress (n = 13) for immune factors and cortisol concentrations. RESULTS:Virtually all immune factors and cortisol, with the exception of the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMCSF), were detected in the human milk samples. The concentrations of the immune factors decreased during the first 3 months, while cortisol concentrations increased over time. No correlation was observed between any of the immune factors and cortisol. No consistent relationship between postnatal psychosocial distress and concentrations of immune factors was found, whereas higher psychosocial distress was predictive of higher cortisol concentrations in human milk. CONCLUSION:In the current study we found no evidence for an association between natural variations in maternal distress and immune factor concentrations in milk. It is uncertain if this lack of association would also be observed in studies with larger populations, with less uniform demographic characteristics, or with women with higher (clinical) levels of anxiety, stress and/or depressive symptoms. In contrast, maternal psychosocial distress was positively related to higher milk cortisol concentrations at week 2 post-delivery. Further investigation on maternal psychosocial distress in relation to human milk composition is warranted.

Project description:BackgroundAccumulating evidence indicates that free amino acids (FAA) might be bioactive compounds with potential immunomodulatory capabilities. However, the FAA composition in human milk is still poorly characterized with respect to its correlation to maternal serum levels and its physiological significance for the infant. Studies addressing the relation of human milk FAA to the infants' intestinal microbiota are still missing.MethodsAs part of a pilot study, maternal serum and breast milk FAA concentrations as well as infant intestinal microbiota (16S rRNA) were determined 2 months after birth. The study cohort consisted of 41 healthy mothers and their term delivered, healthy infants with normal birthweight. The relationship between maternal serum and milk FAA was determined by correlation analyses. Associations between (highly correlated) milk FAA and infant intestinal beta diversity were tested using PERMANOVA, LefSe and multivariate regression models adjusted for common confounders.ResultsSeven breast milk FAA correlated significantly with serum concentrations. One of these, threonine showed a negative association with abundance of members of the class Gammaproteobacteria (R2adj = 17.1%, p = 0.006; β= - 0.441). In addition, on the level of families and genera, threonine explained 23.2% of variation of the relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae (R2adj; p = 0.001; β = - 0.504) and 11.1% of variability in the abundance of Escherichia/Shigella (R2adj, p = 0.025; β = - 0.368), when adjusted for confounders.ConclusionOur study is the first to suggest potential interactions between breast milk FAA and infant gut microbiota composition during early lactation. The results might be indicative of a potential protective role of threonine against members of the Enterobacteriaceae family in breast-fed infants. Still, results are based on correlation analyses and larger cohorts are needed to support the findings and elucidate possible underlying mechanisms to assess the complex interplay between breast milk FAA and infant intestinal microbiota in detail.

Project description:BackgroundStudies indicate that maternal weight status modulates human milk composition; however, results are conflicting.ObjectivesOur objective was to examine the relation between maternal body composition and human milk macronutrients and bioactive components and also their association with infant daily intakes and body composition.MethodsHuman milk samples were obtained from a longitudinal study (NCT01131117) in normal weight (NW: 18.5-24.9 kg/m2, n = 88) and overweight/obese (OW: 25-35 kg/m2, n = 86) women between 0.5 and 9 mo postpartum. Macronutrient content was estimated using mid-infrared spectroscopy. Leptin, insulin, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassays. Infant body composition was obtained using quantitative MRI. Linear mixed models were adjusted for postpartum age and infant sex.ResultsHuman milk in OW mothers was higher in fat and protein and lower in carbohydrate content at some time points compared with that in NW mothers. Human milk leptin, insulin, and CRP concentrations were higher in OW mothers compared with NW mothers, with infants of OW mothers exposed to 1.5-2.5 times higher concentrations of leptin and insulin compared with infants of NW mothers. Similar results were observed when concentrations were normalized to infant daily intake and body weight. The effect sizes of infant daily intakes associated with infant growth parameters were small for macronutrients [0.005-0.05 z-score units and 0.02-0.45 fat mass index (FMI) or fat-free mass index units per unit of change in composition, P < 0.05]. Larger effect sizes were seen with human milk insulin and leptin (0.24 z-score units and 0.37-1.15 FMI units per unit of change in composition, P < 0.05).ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate that infants of OW mothers are exposed to higher concentrations of insulin, leptin, and, to a lesser extent, CRP. The bioavailability of these 3 human milk bioactives and their mechanisms of action in the infant are unclear.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01131117.

Dataset Information

The Composition of Human Milk and Infant Faecal Microbiota Over the First Three Months of Life: A Pilot Study.

Publications

The Composition of Human Milk and Infant Faecal Microbiota Over the First Three Months of Life: A Pilot Study.

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