Dynamic signatures of gut microbiota and influences of delivery and feeding modes during the first 6 months of life

• Published in: Physiological genomics Vol. 51; no. 8; pp. 368 - 378
• Main Authors: Yang, Rong, Gao, Renyuan, Cui, Sainan, Zhong, Hui, Zhang, Xiaohui, Chen, Yanjie, Wang, Jing, Qin, Huanlong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Physiological Society 01.08.2019
• Subjects: Babies; Bacteria; Bacteroidetes - genetics; Bifidobacterium; Bifidobacterium - genetics; Bioinformatics; Bottle Feeding; Breast Feeding; Cesarean Section; China; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Feces - microbiology; Feeding behavior; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gastrointestinal Microbiome - genetics; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infants; Intestinal microflora; Male; Microbiota; Next-generation sequencing; Parturition - physiology; Prospective Studies; Vagina; China; microbial diversity; feeding mode; gut microbiota; infant microbiota development; delivery mode
• ISSN: 1094-8341; 1531-2267
• DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00026.2019

The gut microbiota of infants changes over time and is affected by various factors during early life. However, rarely have studies explored the gut microbiota development and affecting factors in the Chinese infant population. We enrolled 102 infants and collected stool samples from them at birth, 42 days, 3 mo, and 6 mo after delivery to characterize the microbiota signatures and the effects of different factors that modulate the gut microbiota diversity, composition, and function over time. DNA extracted from the bacteria in the stool samples was subjected to high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. Microbial richness and diversity increased significantly during the first 6 mo of life. Beneficial microbes such as , , and were found to be increased in the infant's gut at 6 mo, while pathological bacteria such as , , , and decreased over time. The changes in the infant delivery mode and infant-feeding mode only produced changes in the microbial composition, whereas changes in bacterial richness, diversity and effects sizes on the microbial architecture were all time dependent. A comparison of infant delivery modes conveyed a decrease in abundance of Bacteroidetes over time in the gut of infants born via C-section, while the was the most dominant genus in the vaginal delivery group. The gut microbiota of infants changed extensively during the first 6 mo of life. Delivery and feeding modes were strong factors that significantly affected microbial architecture and functions.