Comparison of the gut microbiota profile in breast-fed and formula-fed Korean infants using pyrosequencing

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVESFeeding in infancy is the most significant determinant of the intestinal microbiota in early life. The aim of this study was to determine the gut microbiota of Korean infants and compare the microbiota obtained between breast-fed and formula-fed Korean infants.SUBJECTS/METHODSWe analyzed the microbial communities in fecal samples collected from twenty 4-week old Korean (ten samples in each breast-fed or formula-fed) infants using pyrosequencing.RESULTSThe fecal microbiota of the 4-week-old Korean infants consisted of the three phyla Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. In addition, five species, including Bifidocbacterium longum, Streptococcus salivarius, Strepotococcus lactarius, Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae, and Lactobacillus gasseri were common commensal intestinal microbiota in all infants. The predominant intestinal microbiota in the breast-fed infants (BFI) included the phylum Actinobacteria (average 70.55%), family Bifidobacteriacea (70.12%), genus Bifidobacterium (70.03%) and species Bifidobacterium longum (69.96%). In the microbiota from the formula-fed infants (FFI), the proportion of the phylum Actinobacteria (40.68%) was less, whereas the proportions of Firmicutes (45.38%) and Proteobacteria (13.85%) as well as the diversity of each taxonomic level were greater, compared to those of the BFI. The probiotic species found in the 4-week-old Korean infants were Bifidobacterium longum, Streptococcus salivarius, and Lactobacillus gasseri. These probiotic species accounted for 93.81% of the microbiota from the BFI, while only 63.80% of the microbiota from the FFI. In particular, B. longum was more abundant in BFI (69.96%) than in FFI (34.17%).CONCLUSIONSBreast milk supports the growth of B. longum and inhibits others. To the best of our knowledge, this study was the first attempt to analyze the gut microbiota of healthy Korean infants according to the feeding type using pyrosequencing. Our data can be used as a basis for further studies to investigate the development of intestinal microbiota with aging and disease status.

Impact of maternal nutrition in pregnancy and lactation on offspring gut microbial composition and function

“…93,94 These bacteria seed the gastrointestinal tract of the breastfeeding infant, likely contributing to the significant shifts in microbiome composition associated with breastfeeding. [95][96][97] Intriguingly, in addition to skin-associated (Staphylococcus) and oral-associated (Streptococcus) taxa, the milk microbiome includes anaerobic bacteria most commonly associated with the gut such as Bifidobacteria and Enterococcus. 94 The origin of these bacteria has yet to be fully elucidated, but evidence suggests that these bacteria may be translocated from the maternal gut via enteromammary trafficking, a pathway in which bacteria in the gut lumen are engulfed by leukocytes through the process of antigen sampling and translocated intracellularly to the mammary glands via systemic circulation (For a review see ref 98 ).…”

The role of early life nutrition in the establishment of gastrointestinal microbial composition and function

“…27,43 A greater prevalence 15 and higher proportion 24 and total counts 16,46 of C. difficile in FF compared to BF infants, as well as, significantly more Peptostreptococcaceae, 31 Akkermansia, 15 Veillonella, and Enterococcus 28 have been described. Escherichia abundance was also higher in FF than BF infants 28 and decreased at a slower rate over time. 31 Furthermore, other results have indicated E. coli to be dominant across both groups 50 or present in similar total numbers, 51 while Penders et al 16 found this species significantly increased in FF infants at 4 wks of age.…”

“…; however, effects of feeding on Lactobacillus abundance are inconsistent across other studies. Increased proportions of Lactobacillus, 25,26,48,54 as well as greater abundances of L. gasseri 28,47 in BF compared to FF infants have been reported, whereas other studies found opposite results 16,52,53 or reported intergroup variability and instability over time. 27,43 A greater prevalence 15 and higher proportion 24 and total counts 16,46 of C. difficile in FF compared to BF infants, as well as, significantly more Peptostreptococcaceae, 31 Akkermansia, 15 Veillonella, and Enterococcus 28 have been described.…”

“…Many studies have reported that BF infants are colonized with higher proportions of microbes from the phylum Actinobacteria and less Firmicutes than FF infants. 23,25,26,28,33 Other studies report that BF infants have similar levels of Actinobacteria and Firmicutes 28,30 but lower proportions of Bacteroidetes 31,36 and Proteobacteria 26,28 compared to FF infants.…”

“…Several studies found bifidobacteria to be significantly greater in BF infants 18,23,26,28,33,36,37,39,47,51 ; Fan and colleagues 26 reported roughly double the relative abundance of bifidobacteria in BF than FF infants. Bifidobacteria have been shown to account for 70% of the sequences of exclusively breastfed (EBF) infants 40 and appear earlier in the feces of EBF than in FF infants 38 In addition, infants who were exclusively breastfed in early life maintained greater colonization with bifidobacteria later in infancy.…”