Abstract
The microbiota of breast milk from Chinese lactating mothers at different stages of lactation was examined in the framework of a Maternal Infant Nutrition Growth (MING) study investigating the dietary habits and breast milk composition in Chinese urban mothers. We used microbiota profiling based on the sequencing of fragments of 16S rRNA gene and specific qPCR for bifidobacteria, lactobacilli and total bacteria to study microbiota of the entire breast milk collected using standard protocol without aseptic cleansing (n = 60), and the microbiota of the milk collected aseptically (n = 30). We have also investigated the impact of the delivery mode and the stage of lactation on the microbiota composition. The microbiota of breast milk was dominated by streptococci and staphylococci for both collection protocols and, in the case of standard collection protocol, Acinetobacter sp. While the predominance of streptococci and staphylococci was consistently reported previously for other populations, the abundance of Acinetobacter sp. was reported only once before in a study where milk collection was done without aseptic cleansing of the breast and rejection of foremilk. Higher bacterial counts were found in the milk collected using standard protocol. Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli were present in few samples with low abundance. We observed no effect of the stage of lactation or the delivery mode on microbiota composition. Methodological and geographical differences likely explain the variability in microbiota composition reported to date.
Highlights
A large number of studies have reported the presence of bacteria in breast milk of healthy lactating women
Culture studies have showed the consistent presence of commensal bacteria in breast milk of healthy women, but bacteria were seen as a nuisance, complicating the storage and later use of expressed milk e.g. [1,2,3,4,5]
Total bacterial load measured by qPCR (Fig 1) was higher in breast milk collected with standard protocol than in samples taken with aseptic precautions
Summary
A large number of studies have reported the presence of bacteria in breast milk of healthy lactating women. Culture studies have showed the consistent presence of commensal bacteria in breast milk of healthy women, but bacteria were seen as a nuisance, complicating the storage and later use of expressed milk e.g. But did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section
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