Influence of Maternal Bifidobacteria on the Development of Gut Bifidobacteria in Infants

Katsunaka Mikami,Hidenori Takahashi,Moto Kimura

doi:10.3390/ph5060629

Katsunaka Mikami, Hidenori Takahashi + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ph5060629

Copy DOI

Journal: Pharmaceuticals	Publication Date: Jun 18, 2012
Citations: 84	License type: CC BY 3.0

Affiliation: Tokai University, Wakamoto Pharmaceutical (Japan)

Abstract

Intestinal microbiota plays an important role in human health by influencing metabolic activities that result in the creation of energy and absorbable nutrients, a barrier to the colonization of pathogens, and stimulation of the immune system. The development of fecal microbiota in neonates is crucial because those bacteria are the first to colonize the sterile intestine of the neonates and, thus, have a significant effect on the host. Initial colonization is also relevant to the final composition of the permanent microbiota in adults. Bifidobacteria are predominant in the fecal microbiota of infants, and, therefore, they are important to an understanding of how commensal bifidobacteria is established in the intestine of infants. While the mother’s bifidobacteria are considered to significantly influence the infant’s bifidobacteria, it is not clear whether a specific bifidobacterial strain transmits vertically from mother to infant and what factors of the mother before delivery influence the establishment of intestinal bifidobacteria in infants. This review focuses on the impact of maternal bifidobacteria on the development of gut bifidobacteria in the infant and suggests that there is cumulative evidence regarding bifidobacterial transfer from the maternal gut or breast milk to the infant gut.

Highlights

Intestinal microbiota plays an important role in human health by influencing metabolic activities that result in the creation of energy and absorbable nutrients, a barrier to the colonization of pathogens, and stimulation of the immune system
This study found that the mothers’ colonization of B. bifidum or B. breve was significantly associated with increases in the number of Bifidobacterium species in the infants’ guts at both one and six months of age; the association between mothers’ colonization of B. breve and the higher number of Bifidobacterium species in the infants’ guts aged six months was marginally significant
The detection of specific species, such as B. breve or B. bifidum, in maternal guts results in better bifidobacterial ecology in the corresponding infant’s gut. This depends on the differences in the environmental bacterial load and on the genetic background of the study population, and, it is important to identify appropriate bifidobacterial species better suited for each country

Summary

Introduction

Intestinal microbiota plays an important role in human health by influencing metabolic activities that result in the creation of energy and absorbable nutrients, a barrier to the colonization of pathogens, and stimulation of the immune system. It is not clear whether a specific bifidobacterial strain vertically transmits from mother to infant, and, if so, what factors of the mothers’ bifidobacteria before delivery influence the establishment of intestinal microbiota in their infants. Grönlund et al [33] assessed 80 mother-infant paired fecal samples to examine the influence of maternal intestinal bifidobacteria on the establishment of bifidobacteria colonizing the gut in infants using quantitative real-time PCR assays.

Results

Conclusion