HIV-exposure, early life feeding practices and delivery mode impacts on faecal bacterial profiles in a South African birth cohort
Year: 2018
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: There are limited data on meconium and faecal bacterial profiles from African infants and their mothers. We characterized faecal bacterial communities of infants and mothers participating in a South African birth cohort. Stool and meconium specimens were collected from 90 mothers and 107 infants at birth, and from a subset of 72 and 36 infants at 4-12 and 20-28 weeks of age, respectively. HIV-unexposed infants were primarily exclusively breastfed at 4-12 (49%, 26/53) and 20-28 weeks (62%, 16/26). In contrast, HIV-exposed infants were primarily exclusively formula fed at 4-12 (53%; 10/19) and 20-28 weeks (70%, 7/10). Analysis (of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences of the V4 hypervariable region) of the 90 mother-infant pairs showed that meconium bacterial profiles [dominated by Proteobacteria (89%)] were distinct from those of maternal faeces [dominated by Firmicutes (66%) and Actinobacteria (15%)]. Actinobacteria predominated at 4-12 (65%) and 20-28 (50%) weeks. HIV-exposed infants had significantly higher faecal bacterial diversities at both 4-12 (p = 0.026) and 20-28 weeks (p = 0.002). HIV-exposed infants had lower proportions of Bifidobacterium (p = 0.010) at 4-12 weeks. Maternal faecal bacterial profiles were influenced by HIV status, feeding practices and mode of delivery. Further longitudinal studies are required to better understand how these variables influence infant and maternal faecal bacterial composition.
Source: Scientific Reports
Institutions: University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, J. Craig Venter Institute, OpenBiome, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, South African Medical Research Council, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, National Health Laboratory Service, Groote Schuur Hospital
Language: English
Topic: Gut microbiota and health
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
Funders: Carnegie Corporation of New York, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, National Research Foundation, South African Medical Research Council, University of Cape Town, National Institutes of Health, Medical Research Council, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Awards: G1303685756, The nasopharyngeal microbiome and respiratory disease in African children, J. Craig Venter Institute - to use new molecular technologies to elucidate the nasopharyngeal microbiome in GEMS & PERCH sites where factors such as ethnicity, environment, an..., G3685900323, Center for Research on the Respiratory Microbiota of African Children (ReMAC), The infant stool microbiota and its association with wheezing illness in young South African children, G4878468429, The infant stool microbiota and its association with wheezing illness in young South African children
OpenAlex ID: W2795319208