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The human milk microbiome aligns with lactation stage and not birth mode

Lyons, Katriona E. ; Shea, Carol Anne O.’ ; Grimaud, Ghjuvan LU orcid ; Ryan, C. Anthony ; Dempsey, Eugene ; Kelly, Alan L. ; Ross, R. Paul and Stanton, Catherine (2022) In Scientific Reports 12(1).
Abstract

We analysed the human milk microbiome in a cohort of 80 lactating women and followed the dynamics in taxa over the course of lactation from birth to 6 months. Two hundred and thirty one milk samples were collected from full-term lactating women at 1, 4, 8 and 24 weeks following birth and analysed for microbiota composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. A significant decrease in milk microbiota diversity was observed throughout the first 6 months of lactation, with the greatest difference seen between week 8 and week 24. Nine genera predominated in milk over lactation from week 1 to week 24, comprising of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Bifidobacterium, Mesorhizobium, Brevundimonas, Flavobacterium, and... (More)

We analysed the human milk microbiome in a cohort of 80 lactating women and followed the dynamics in taxa over the course of lactation from birth to 6 months. Two hundred and thirty one milk samples were collected from full-term lactating women at 1, 4, 8 and 24 weeks following birth and analysed for microbiota composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. A significant decrease in milk microbiota diversity was observed throughout the first 6 months of lactation, with the greatest difference seen between week 8 and week 24. Nine genera predominated in milk over lactation from week 1 to week 24, comprising of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Bifidobacterium, Mesorhizobium, Brevundimonas, Flavobacterium, and Rhodococcus; however, fluctuations in these core genera were apparent over time. There was a significant effect of stage of lactation on the microbiome, while no effect of birth mode, infant sex and maternal BMI was observed throughout lactation. Streptococcus had the highest mean relative abundance at week 1 and 24 (17.3% and 24% respectively), whereas Pseudomonas predominated at week 4 (22%) and week 8 (19%). Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus had the highest mean relative abundance at week 4 (5% and 1.4% respectively), and occurred at a relative abundance of ≤ 1% at all other time points. A decrease in milk microbiota diversity throughout lactation was also observed. This study concluded that lactation stage was the primary driving factor in milk microbiota compositional changes over lactation from birth to 6 months, while mode of delivery was not a factor driving compositional changes throughout human lactation.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
in
Scientific Reports
volume
12
issue
1
article number
5598
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:85127650007
ISSN
2045-2322
DOI
10.1038/s41598-022-09009-y
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).
id
c74f553f-19f2-4c17-8515-f66dcec6b961
date added to LUP
2024-11-25 16:11:34
date last changed
2025-05-13 09:42:29
@article{c74f553f-19f2-4c17-8515-f66dcec6b961,
  abstract     = {{<p>We analysed the human milk microbiome in a cohort of 80 lactating women and followed the dynamics in taxa over the course of lactation from birth to 6 months. Two hundred and thirty one milk samples were collected from full-term lactating women at 1, 4, 8 and 24 weeks following birth and analysed for microbiota composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. A significant decrease in milk microbiota diversity was observed throughout the first 6 months of lactation, with the greatest difference seen between week 8 and week 24. Nine genera predominated in milk over lactation from week 1 to week 24, comprising of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Bifidobacterium, Mesorhizobium, Brevundimonas, Flavobacterium, and Rhodococcus; however, fluctuations in these core genera were apparent over time. There was a significant effect of stage of lactation on the microbiome, while no effect of birth mode, infant sex and maternal BMI was observed throughout lactation. Streptococcus had the highest mean relative abundance at week 1 and 24 (17.3% and 24% respectively), whereas Pseudomonas predominated at week 4 (22%) and week 8 (19%). Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus had the highest mean relative abundance at week 4 (5% and 1.4% respectively), and occurred at a relative abundance of ≤ 1% at all other time points. A decrease in milk microbiota diversity throughout lactation was also observed. This study concluded that lactation stage was the primary driving factor in milk microbiota compositional changes over lactation from birth to 6 months, while mode of delivery was not a factor driving compositional changes throughout human lactation.</p>}},
  author       = {{Lyons, Katriona E. and Shea, Carol Anne O.’ and Grimaud, Ghjuvan and Ryan, C. Anthony and Dempsey, Eugene and Kelly, Alan L. and Ross, R. Paul and Stanton, Catherine}},
  issn         = {{2045-2322}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Scientific Reports}},
  title        = {{The human milk microbiome aligns with lactation stage and not birth mode}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-09009-y}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41598-022-09009-y}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}