Abstract
Breast milk from a single mother was collected during a 28-week lactation period. Bacterial diversity was studied by amplicon sequencing analysis of the V3-V4 variable region of the 16S rRNA gene. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the main phyla detected in the milk samples, followed by Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes. The proportion of Firmicutes to Proteobacteria changed considerably depending on the sampling week. A total of 411 genera or higher taxons were detected in the set of samples. Genus Streptococcus was detected during the 28-week sampling period, at relative abundances between 2.0% and 68.8%, and it was the most abundant group in 14 of the samples. Carnobacterium and Lactobacillus had low relative abundances. At the genus level, bacterial diversity changed considerably at certain weeks within the studied period. The weeks or periods with lowest relative abundance of Streptococcus had more diverse bacterial compositions including genera belonging to Proteobacteria that were poorly represented in the rest of the samples.
Highlights
Human milk is considered to be an important source of bacteria for the newborn
Previous studies have suggested that commensal coagulase-negative staphylococci and viridans streptococci found in breast milk can reduce the acquisition of undesired pathogens by infants exposed to hospital environments [5]
The aim of the present study was to investigate the microbiota during the mid-to-late lactation period in breast milk from a single mother and to analyze possible changes in bacterial diversity during the period
Summary
Human milk is considered to be an important source of bacteria for the newborn. Many of these bacteria may be human commensals or have potential probiotic effects [1]. Lactic acid bacteria, such as Lactobacillus fermentum, L. gasseri, L. rhamnosus, isolated from human breast milk, can be regarded as potential probiotic bacteria [2,3,4]. Some of the bacterial strains found in human milk may have a large potential to improve the mother’s health [6]. Bacteria ingested during breastfeeding contribute to the development of the infant gut microbiome [7]
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