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Can breastfeeding promote an antibiotic-resilient microbiome?

Jakob Stokholm1, Jonathan Thorsen2

  • 1COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.

Med (New York, N.Y.)
|February 11, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Breastfeeding in early life may reduce childhood asthma risk linked to antibiotics. This protective effect is linked to a specific gut microbiome composition, particularly the bacterium Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiome research
  • Pediatric health
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Antibiotic use in early childhood is associated with an increased risk of asthma.
  • The early-life microbiome plays a crucial role in immune system development and disease susceptibility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential protective effect of breastfeeding against the asthma risk associated with early-life antibiotic exposure.
  • To identify the specific microbial mechanisms underlying this protective effect.

Main Methods:

  • The study analyzed the relationship between breastfeeding, antibiotic exposure, and asthma development in a pediatric cohort.
  • Microbiome composition, particularly the abundance of Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis, was assessed.

Main Results:

  • Breastfeeding was found to mitigate the asthma risk conferred by early-life antibiotic exposure.
  • A specific gut microbiome profile, enriched in Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis, was associated with this protective effect.

Conclusions:

  • Early-life breastfeeding can confer resilience against antibiotic-associated asthma.
  • Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis is a key bacterial species driving this microbiome-mediated protection.

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