Shared and Distinct Features of Human Milk and Infant Stool Viromes.

ABSTRACT: Infants acquire many of their microbes from their mothers during the birth process. The acquisition of these microbes is believed to be critical in the development of the infant immune system. Bacteria also are transmitted to the infant through breastfeeding, and help to form the microbiome of the infant gastrointestinal (GI) tract; it is unknown whether viruses in human milk serve to establish an infant GI virome. We examined the virome contents of milk and infant stool in a cohort of mother-infant pairs to discern whether milk viruses colonize the infant GI tract. We observed greater viral alpha diversity in milk than in infant stool, similar to the trend we found for bacterial communities from both sites. When comparing beta diversity, viral communities were mostly distinguishable betwe

SUBMITTER: Pannaraj PS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5992295 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature