Analysis of the Major Probiotics in Healthy Women’s Breast Milk by Realtime PCR. Factors Affecting the Presence of Those Bacteria

Abstract

Breast milk has been reported as a bacteria source that affects infant gut microbiota development. The present study utilizes a realtime PCR method to identify Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium spp. in the breast milk of healthy women and attempts to identify factors affecting those human milk bacteria. Breast milk samples—both colostrum and mature milk—of 100 healthy women, were collected in Greece along with data about the demographic factors and nutritional habits of the volunteers. The colostrum samples were found to have higher percentages of either Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus (76.9% and 48.6%, respectively) compared to the mature milk samples. For younger women, aged from 18 to 29 years, and women from rural areas, bacteria were detected in higher incidence than for older groups and women in urban areas, respectively. Moreover, for high-BMI women, bacteria were detected in lower incidence than for those with normal BMI. Probiotic supplements did not affect the composition of the breast milk-identified bacteria. Various factors such as lactation stage, maternal age, maternal weight, and residential location may contribute to the presence of those species in human milk. RT PCR has significant potential for the microbiological analysis of human milk.

Human Milk Microbiome—A Review of Scientific Reports

“…The strains with probiotic properties isolated so far included L. gasseri, L. salivarius, L. fermentum (inducing the production of interleukin 10) [75], and L. rhamnosus (exhibiting antioxidant and anticancer properties) [76]. Colostrum samples were found to have a higher percentage of Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus (76.9% and 48.6%, respectively) compared to mature milk samples [77].…”