Immunoglobulin A and nutrients in milk from great apes throughout lactation

Abstract

Milk macronutrients from great apes differed throughout lactation. Milk macronutrients but not IgA from non-human great apes and humans were quite similar. Milk protein was greater in Gorilla compared with Orangutan.

Diversity and temporal dynamics of primate milk microbiomes

“…This indicates that the bacterial community was gradually turning over with time. Nutrient content is largely stable in mature milk intra‐individually (Garcia et al, ; Hinde et al, ; Power et al, ), and we found no association of nutrient content predicting changes in the microbiome over time. Instead these changes over time may reflect EMT moving different bacteria from the mother's gut to the mammary gland and/or changes in the infant oral microbiome over time (Dzidic et al, ) that changes which bacteria colonize milk through retrograde flow during suction (Ascinar et al, ; Biagi et al, ).…”

“…Milk samples for nonhuman primates were collected either voluntarily or while under anesthesia. Samples were collected with approved protocols from NZP IACUC and Zoo Atlanta Scientific Review Committee for western lowland gorillas, Bornean orangutans ( Pongo pygmaeus ), and Sumatran orangutans (Garcia, Power, & Moyes, ; Power et al, ) and UCLA and UC Davis IACUCs for rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta ; Hinde, Power, & Oftedal, ). Bonobo ( Pan paniscus ), chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes ), and owl monkey ( Aotus nancymaae ) samples were collected as part of standard management procedures in accordance with institutional guidelines for care and use of animals at their respective facilities (see Table ).…”

“…We leveraged existing metadata of milk nutrient composition, energetic density, and hormone concentration from previous research (Anderson et al, ; Garcia et al, ; Hinde et al, ; Power et al, ; Quinn et al, ). We previously assayed a subset of samples using standard nutrient composition methods to calculate % crude protein, % total sugar, and % crude fat (Garcia et al, ; Hinde et al, ; Power et al, ). For the species comparison data set, we had nutrient assay data available for five species (sample n = 45; Table ).…”

“…For the species comparison data set, we had nutrient assay data available for five species (sample n = 45; Table ). For the data derived from longitudinal milk sampling (Table ), we had nutrient assay results for two mothers, Mandara ( n = 15) and Sarah ( n = 8; Garcia et al, ; Power et al, ) . Gross energy (GE) was calculated for each milk sample using the formula: GE = (9.11 kcal/g * % fat + 5.86 kcal/g * % crude protein + 3.95 kcal/g * % sugar)/100 (Hinde et al, ; Petzinger et al, ; Power, Watts, Murtough, & Knight, ).…”

Integrating evolution into medical education for women’s health care practitioners

“…The human neonate is born with an immature, adaptive immune system; it is protected by maternal Immunoglobulin G that crosses the placenta by an active transport system that results in fetal blood concentration of IgG being higher that maternal blood [43]. After birth, if breastfed, the human neonate receives large doses of secretory Immunoglobulin A (sIgA) via breast milk; human breast milk has concentrations of sIgA 20-30 times higher than in gorilla or orangutan milk [44]. But eventually, the neonatal adaptive immune system must produce its own antibodies.…”