Metagenomic Analyses of Bifidobacterial Communities

Bifidobacteria represent highly prevalent and abundant members of the gut microbiota during mammalian infancy. In this context, bifidobacterial species have been shown to be correlated with many aspects of host health by means of direct interactions with the host and cohabiting microbes. Metagenomic sequencing of fecal DNA represents a valuable approach for taxonomic and functional profiling of bacterial populations, and has allowed us to appreciate the relevance of bifidobacterial taxa in such complex bacterial communities, especially during the first stages of life.