title: Vertical mother-neonate transfer of maternal gut bacteria via breastfeeding.
abstract: Breast milk has recently been recognized as source of commensal and potential probiotic bacteria. The present study investigated whether viable strains of gut-associated obligate anaerobes are shared between the maternal and neonatal gut ecosystem via breastfeeding. Maternal faeces, breast milk and corresponding neonatal faeces collected from seven mothers-neonate pairs at three neonatal sampling points were analyzed by culture-independent (pyrosequencing) and culture-dependent methods (16S rRNA gene sequencing, pulsed field gel electrophoresis, random amplified polymorphic DNA and repetitive extragenic palindromic polymerase chain reaction. Pyrosequencing allowed identifying gut-associated obligate anaerobic genera, like Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Parabacteroides and members of the Clostridia (Blautia, Clostridium, Collinsella and Veillonella) shared between maternal faeces, breast milk and neonatal faeces. Using culture, a viable strain of Bifidobacterium breve was shown to be shared between all three ecosystems within one mother-neonate pair. Furthermore, pyrosequencing revealed that several butyrate-producing members of the Clostridia (Coprococcus, Faecalibacterium, Roseburia and Subdoligranulum) were shared between maternal faeces and breast milk. This study shows that (viable) obligate gut-associated anaerobes may be vertically transferred from mother to neonate via breastfeeding. Thus, our data support the recently suggested hypothesis of a novel way of mother-neonate communication, in which maternal gut bacteria reach breast milk via an entero-mammary pathway to influence neonatal gut colonization and maturation of the immune system.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Biotechnology, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ted
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jost
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lacroix
authors.forename: Christian P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Braegger
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rochat
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chassard
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D001942:Breast Feeding; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000382:microbiology*; D019936:Probiotics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S