Nutr Res Pract.  2015 Jun;9(3):242-248. 10.4162/nrp.2015.9.3.242.

Comparison of the gut microbiota profile in breast-fed and formula-fed Korean infants using pyrosequencing

• Lee SA
• Lim JY
• Kim BS
• Cho SJ
• Kim NY
• Kim OB
• Kim Y

• KMID: 2313836
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2015.9.3.242

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES
Feeding in infancy is the most significant determinant of the intestinal microbiota in early life. The aim of this study was to determine the gut microbiota of Korean infants and compare the microbiota obtained between breast-fed and formula-fed Korean infants.
SUBJECTS/METHODS
We analyzed the microbial communities in fecal samples collected from twenty 4-week old Korean (ten samples in each breast-fed or formula-fed) infants using pyrosequencing.
RESULTS
The fecal microbiota of the 4-week-old Korean infants consisted of the three phyla Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. In addition, five species, including Bifidocbacterium longum, Streptococcus salivarius, Strepotococcus lactarius, Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae, and Lactobacillus gasseri were common commensal intestinal microbiota in all infants. The predominant intestinal microbiota in the breast-fed infants (BFI) included the phylum Actinobacteria (average 70.55%), family Bifidobacteriacea (70.12%), genus Bifidobacterium (70.03%) and species Bifidobacterium longum (69.96%). In the microbiota from the formula-fed infants (FFI), the proportion of the phylum Actinobacteria (40.68%) was less, whereas the proportions of Firmicutes (45.38%) and Proteobacteria (13.85%) as well as the diversity of each taxonomic level were greater, compared to those of the BFI. The probiotic species found in the 4-week-old Korean infants were Bifidobacterium longum, Streptococcus salivarius, and Lactobacillus gasseri. These probiotic species accounted for 93.81% of the microbiota from the BFI, while only 63.80% of the microbiota from the FFI. In particular, B. longum was more abundant in BFI (69.96%) than in FFI (34.17%).
CONCLUSIONS
Breast milk supports the growth of B. longum and inhibits others. To the best of our knowledge, this study was the first attempt to analyze the gut microbiota of healthy Korean infants according to the feeding type using pyrosequencing. Our data can be used as a basis for further studies to investigate the development of intestinal microbiota with aging and disease status.

Keyword

Gut microbiota; breast-fed; formula-fed; pyrosequencing

MeSH Terms

Actinobacteria
Aging
Bifidobacterium
Humans
Infant*
Lactobacillus
Microbiota*
Milk, Human
Probiotics
Proteobacteria
Streptococcus
Sulfalene
Sulfalene

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Aggregate microbiota composition at pylum/family level from fecal samples of 4 wks old infants. (A) Breast-fed infants, (B) Formula-fed infants.

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  Fig. 2 Heatmap analysis of the species detected from pyrosequencing of fecal samples from 4 wks old BFI and FFI. The data contained in the matrix are represented by black and white colors. The minimum ratio of a taxon is displayed as an individual sample. The cut-off value was set to 1%. BFI, Breast-fed infants; FFI, Formula-fed infants

• 

  Fig. 3 The compositions of probiotics at the species level in fecal samples from 4-week-old BFI and FFI. etc., bacteria other than probiotics; BFI, Breast-fed infants; FFI, Formula-fed infants

• 

  Fig. 4 Scatter plots showing the proportions of Bifidobacterium sequences with respect to the total sequences obtained from pyrosequencing 16S rRNA genes associated with feeding type. Mean values (horizontal lines) and significance values (P, Mann-Whitney) are shown. BFI, Breast-fed infants; FFI, Formula-fed infants

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