Scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute in collaboration with the University College London and University of Birmingham identified three kinds of pioneer bacteria that inhabit the gut microbiota of newborns shortly after birth. This published in *Nature Microbiology* comes from the largest survey of infants’ microbiomes in the UK. The team used whole-genome sequencing in the context of the UK Baby Biome Study to study 1,288 stool samples of healthy babies who has not yet one month old.
A recent research showed that out of these pioneer bacteria, one is uniquely suited for growth in breast milk and may assist the infant to ward off disease-causing organisms. This bacterium, Bifidobacterium breve (B. breve,), has a genetic capability of efficient utilization of nutrients obtainable in breast milk and its discovery may help in establishing viewpoint for a start of individualized probiotic intervention in the newborn. The findings reveal that the present day commercial probiotics that include different strain—Bifidobacterium longum subsp. B. infantis (tertium quid B. infantis) may not be suitable for newborns in the developed countries such as the UK and the US where B. infantis is scarce.
In addition to B. breve, two other types of pioneer bacteria were identified: Bifidobacterium longum subsp. Bacterium Bacteria: B. longum and E. faecalis These two poisonous bacteria include B. longum and E. faecalis. However, the same cannot be said of E. faecalis which is considered a possible danger because it fosters the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and hinders the production of a favourable gut flora.
One important finding of the current study is that B. breve does not transfer from the mother to the baby at birth, as is the case with B. longum. Breast feeding or formula feeding also had minimal effect on whether the pioneer bacteria that immigrate into the baby’s body are of the Bacteroidetes or Firmicutes type. In particular, antibiotic use was reported to have an impact on microbial balance. It is important to note, however, that other characteristics such as the age of the mother and parity may also influence a baby’s microbiome though further studies establishing these relationships are required.
By this, the paper encourages researchers to imagine fresh possibilities for the health of infants. Introducing the first ever bacteria of a newborn, scientists hope to forecast subsequent changes in the child’s gut microbiota and use targeted probiotics to promote only beneficial microbes instead of dangerous bacteria. Such interventions could be helpful especially if administered within the first month of life when the microbiome in the child’s gut is relatively newly developed and can easily get disturbed.
Outcomes related to overall health in later life are yet to be studied in order to better understand the effects of early microbiome on the human organism. The current Microbes, Milk, Mental Health and Me (4M) project which is being implemented is a long-term project co-led by the Welcome Sanger Institute investigating the effects of the infant gut microbiome on brain and behavioural development, emotions, and mental health later in life. This ongoing study, a subset of the Children Growing Up in Liverpool cohort, therefore recruits 10,000 mothers and infants and will give more detailed information about how feeding or microbial colonization in early life affects long-term health.
Scholars have stress that more studies should be conducted in order to determine changes induced by various birth practices and feeding strategies on the microbiome. Although earlier studies have demonstrated that newborns, who were delivered via a vaginal birth, have varying microbiota from those that were born through C-section.
Altogether, this pioneering study suggests bioindicators for odds of improving individualized infant probiotics. With the help of genomic data and comprehension of what individual babies’ gut requires, it might be possible to provide them with effective support for desirable further microbiome establishment, which forms the basis for a healthy life.
Reference
Primary succession of Bifidobacteria drives pathogen resistance in neonatal microbiota assembly, Nature Microbiology (2024).
