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. 2020 May 19;8(5):760.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms8050760.

Donated Human Milk as a Determinant Factor for the Gut Bifidobacterial Ecology in Premature Babies

Silvia Arboleya  1   2 , Silvia Saturio  1   2 , Marta Suárez  3 , Nuria Fernández  2   3 , Leonardo Mancabelli  4 , Clara G de Los Reyes-Gavilán  1   2 , Marco Ventura  4 , Gonzalo Solís  3 , Miguel Gueimonde  1   2
Affiliations

Donated Human Milk as a Determinant Factor for the Gut Bifidobacterial Ecology in Premature Babies

Silvia Arboleya et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Correct establishment of the gut microbiome is compromised in premature babies, with Bifidobacterium being one of the most affected genera. Prematurity often entails the inability to successfully breastfeed, therefore requiring the implementation of other feeding modes; breast milk expression from a donor mother is the recommended option when their own mother's milk is not available. Some studies showed different gut microbial profiles in premature infants fed with breast milk and donor human milk, however, it is not known how this affects the species composition of the genus Bifidobacterium. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of donated human milk on shaping the gut bifidobacterial populations of premature babies during the first three months of life. We analyzed the gut bifidobacterial communities of 42 premature babies fed with human donor milk or own-mother milk by the 16S rRNA-23S rRNA internal transcriber spaces (ITS) region sequencing and q-PCR. Moreover, metabolic activity was assessed by gas chromatography. We observed a specific bifidobacterial profile based on feeding type, with higher bifidobacterial diversity in the human donor milk group. Differences in specific Bifidobacterium species composition may contribute to the development of specific new strategies or treatments aimed at mimicking the impact of own-mother milk feeding in neonatal units.

Keywords: ITS; bifidobacteria; donated human milk; early life; intestinal microbiota; mother’s own milk; preterm.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Bifidobacterium evolution. Evolution of Bifidobacterium species in (A) the own mother’s milk (OMM) group and (B) the donor human milk (DHM) group during the first month of life.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Bifidobacterium diversity. (A) Alpha diversity between groups. Chao1 and Shannon index comparisons between the DHM and OMM milk groups at 2 (n = 12 and n = 26, respectively), 10 (n = 12 and n = 27, respectively), and 30 (n = 5 and n = 13, respectively) days of life. (B) Alpha diversity over time. Chao1 index over time comparison in the DHM and OMM milk groups (n = 3 at 90 days). (C) Venn diagram. Number of unique and shared species in the babies’ groups over time. Colors and groups are explained in each figure.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bifidobacterium grouped based on feeding type. (A) Redundancy analysis (RDA) showing separation over time. (B) Discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) plot and loading plot at 30 days of life. Colors and groups are explained in each figure.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Proportions (% in mM) of the main short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) determined by gas chromatography (GC) in the feeding type groups. Median and IQR range values are represented. OMM: own mother’s milk; DHM: donor human milk; FORM: formula milk group. * indicates a significant difference (* p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01).
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