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Updated: Sep 23, 2025
08:15
Recapitulating Suckling-to-Weaning Transition In Vitro using Fetal Intestinal Organoids
Published on: November 15, 2019
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Rapid evolution and strain turnover in the infant gut microbiome
Daisy W Chen1,2, Nandita R Garud3,4
1Computational and Systems Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1606, USA.
Genome Research
|May 11, 2022
Summary
The infant gut microbiome evolves 10x faster than adults, with rapid changes early in life. These evolutionary dynamics stabilize as the infant gut microbiome matures.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Ecological dynamics of the infant gut microbiome are well-studied.
- Evolutionary dynamics within the infant gut microbiome remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary dynamics of the infant gut microbiome over the first year of life.
- To compare infant gut microbiome evolution to that of adults.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of longitudinal fecal metagenomic data from over 700 infants and their mothers.
- Tracking evolutionary changes, including gene gain and loss, and strain turnover.
Main Results:
- Infant gut microbiome evolution is distinct from adults, with over a 10-fold increase in evolution and strain turnover rates.
- The mother-infant transition at birth is a highly dynamic period dominated by gene loss.
- Microbiome evolution stabilizes within months, with gene gains becoming more frequent.
- Evolutionary changes are influenced by de novo mutations and transmission from family members.
- Parallel evolutionary changes across infants highlight candidate genes crucial for microbiome development.
Conclusions:
- The infant gut microbiome is characterized by rapid evolutionary and ecological changes early in life.
- Understanding these dynamics is key to comprehending infant gut microbiome development.
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