Breastmilk influences development and composition of the oral microbiome

Abstract

Background Human microbiomes assemble in an ordered, reproducible manner yet there is limited information about early colonisation and development of bacterial communities that constitute the oral microbiome. Aim The aim of this study was to determine the effect of exposure to breastmilk on assembly of the infant oral microbiome during the first 20 months of life. Methods The oral microbiomes of 39 infants, 13 who were never breastfed and 26 who were breastfed for more than 10 months, from the longitudinal VicGeneration birth cohort study, were determined at four ages. In total, 519 bacterial taxa were identified and quantified in saliva by sequencing the V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Results There were significant differences in the development of the oral microbiomes of never breastfed and breastfed infants. Bacterial diversity was significantly higher in never breastfed infants at 2 months, due largely to an increased abundance of Veillonella and species from the Bacteroidetes phylum compared with breastfed infants. Conclusion These differences likely reflect breastmilk playing a prebiotic role in selection of early-colonising, health-associated oral bacteria, such as the Streptococcus mitis group. The microbiomes of both groups became more heterogenous following the introduction of solid foods.

Exploring Oral Microbiome in Healthy Infants and Children: A Systematic Review

“…Diversity and richness is strictly connected with taxonomy. Six main phyla were found: Firmicutes , Bacteroides , Proteobacteria , Actinobacteria , Fusobacteria , and Spirochaetes [ 7 , 9 , 17 , 33 , 34 , 43 ]. The valuable work of Arweiler et al [ 18 ] pointed out a huge β-diversity in microbial abundance between plaque and saliva samples, but this was not confirmed by Nomura et al [ 26 ], who found a similar biodiversity and richness between tongue and saliva samples.…”

“…A crucial factor affecting the neonates’ microbiome development is represented by the type of nutrition. According to Butler et al [ 7 ], breastfed newborns present a greater abundance of healthy-associated oral bacteria, and maternal milk seems to play a prebiotic role. The introduction of solid food increases the oral microbiome heterogeneity in both breastfed and formula-fed infants.…”

“… Author Year Selection Comparability Exposure Total Score Butler C.A. et al [ 7 ] 2022 3 1 3 7 Xu H. et al [ 17 ] 2022 2 1 2 5 Li F. et al [ 20 ] 2021 3 2 2 7 Lee E. et al [ 19 ] 2021 3 2 3 8 Arweiler N.B. et al [ 18 ] 2021 3 1 2 6 Xu L. et al [ 23 ] 2021 2 2 3 7 Jo R. et al [ 21 ] …”

“… Authors/Year Conclusions Butler C.A. et al, 2022 [ 7 ] Breastmilk plays a prebiotic role in selection of early-colonizing, health-associated oral bacteria. The microbiomes of both groups became more heterogenous following the introduction of solid foods.…”

“…Oral hard and soft tissues represent a multiplicity of local environments colonized by these microbes, in connection via saliva [ 5 ]. Several early-life factors seem to shape the oral microbiome in children, such as host genetic elements, birth delivery mode, and type of nutrition (breast-feeding or formula) [ 6 , 7 ]. Oral microbiome acquisition starts during the fetal life, and its transmission becomes more complex from birth onward [ 8 ].…”