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Applying Advanced In Vitro Culturing Technology to Study the Human Gut Microbiota
Published on: February 15, 2019
Composition of gut microbiota in infants in China and global comparison
Ya-Shu Kuang1, Sheng-Hui Li1, Yong Guo1
1Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510623, People's Republic of China.
Insights
Infant gut microbiota development shows increased diversity by two months, influenced by delivery mode. Chinese infants exclusively exhibit a Proteobacteria-dominant enterotype, differing from global patterns.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Human Health
- Infant Development
Background:
- Gut microbiota is crucial for human health, with alterations linked to complex disorders.
- Understanding infant gut microbial community development is vital but less studied in non-Western populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize infant gut microbiota colonization and development in healthy Chinese infants.
- To compare these patterns with international infant microbiota data.
- To identify and analyze infant enterotypes and their geographical variations.
Main Methods:
- Fecal microbiota analysis of neonates and 2-month-old healthy Chinese infants.
- Comparison of microbial composition based on delivery mode (vaginal vs. cesarean).
- Global comparison to identify and characterize distinct infant enterotypes (P-type, A-type, F-type).
Main Results:
- Infant gut microbiota diversity significantly increases by two months of age.
- Vaginal delivery is associated with Bacteroides enrichment, while cesarean delivery is linked to Prevotella enrichment.
- Three distinct enterotypes (P, A, F) were identified, varying geographically, with all Chinese infants belonging to the P-type (Proteobacteria-dominant).
Conclusions:
- Infant gut microbiota composition undergoes significant changes in early life.
- Delivery mode plays a role in shaping the initial gut microbial landscape.
- Geographical location influences infant enterotype prevalence, highlighting unique microbial colonization patterns in Chinese infants.
Abstract:
Symbiotic gut microbiota is essential for human health, and its compositional changes have been associated with various complex disorders. However, systematic investigation of the acquisition and development of gut microbial communities during early infancy are relatively rare, particularly for infants from non-Western countries. In this study, we characterize the colonization and development of infant microbiota in healthy Chinese infants and compare the pattern with those from other countries. The fecal microbiota of 2-month-old infants was considerably more diverse than that of neonates, as indicated by higher relative abundances of Veillonella, Clostridium, Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, Collinsella and Prevotella, and reduction of Escherichia and Enterococcus. The fecal microbiota of vaginally delivered infants (both neonates and 2-month-old) had significant enrichment of Bacteroides, Parabacteroides and Megamonas, whereas cesarean delivered infants had enrichment of Prevotella, Streptococcus and Trabulsiella. By global comparison, we identify three different enterotypes, referred as "P-type", "A-type "and "F-type" which were highly abundant in Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes, respectively. The three enterotypes' compositons vary geographically. All Chinese infants in our study belong to the P-type. These findings may provide novel insights into our understanding of the establishment of infant fecal bacterial communities.
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