title: Distinctive Intestinal Lactobacillus Communities in 6-Month-Old Infants From Rural Malawi and Southwestern Finland.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to compare the composition and diversity of Lactobacillus microbiota in infants living in Malawi and Southwestern Finland.
  
  
  METHODS
  The composition and diversity of the Lactobacillus group was analyzed in the feces of healthy 6-month-old infants living in rural Malawi (n = 44) and Southwestern Finland (n = 31), using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction method and PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprinting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Malawian infants had higher counts of lactobacilli than their Finnish counterparts (7.45 log cells/g vs 6.86 log cells/g, P < 0.001, respectively) and the Lactobacillus community was richer and more diverse in the Malawian infants. Leuconostoc citreum and Weissella confusa were the predominant species in both study groups, but Malawian infants were more often colonized by these species (100% vs 74.2%, P < 0.001; 95.5% vs 41.9%, P < 0.001, respectively). Moreover, Lactobacillus ruminis, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus mucosae were detected more often in the Malawian infants (59.1% vs 0.0%, P < 0.001; 38.6% vs 9.7%, P = 0.004; 29.5% vs 0.0%, P < 0.001; 22.7% vs 3.2%, P = 0.017, respectively). Lactobacillus casei group species, however, were only detected in the Finnish infants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Malawian infants have a more abundant Lactobacillus microbiota with a distinct composition compared with Finnish infants. The environment, including diet and hygiene, may be among the factors influencing these differences.
authors.affiliation: *Functional Foods Forum †Department of Biochemistry, Food Chemistry and Food Development, University of Turku, Turku, Finland ‡Department of Community Health, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi §Department for International Health, School of Medicine, University of Tampere ¶Department of Paediatrics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Juhani
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aakko
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mangani
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maleta
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ashorn
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Isolauri
authors.forename: Seppo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salminen
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D004777:Environment; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000254:growth & development*; D007934:Leuconostoc / Q000254:growth & development; D008295:Malawi; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012424:Rural Population; D058836:Weissella / Q000254:growth & development