The core phageome and its interrelationship with preterm human milk lipids

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Human Milk Oligosaccharides
• Infant Nutrition

Background:

• Human milk (HM) contains phages and lipids that may benefit preterm infant health.
• Lipid association could facilitate phage transmission to infants.
• The interplay between lipids and phages in preterm HM is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between phage and lipid profiles in preterm human milk.
• To understand the longitudinal changes in phage communities and their association with lipids.
• To highlight the potential role of phage-lipid interactions in preterm infant gut health.

Main Methods:

• Shotgun metagenomics and untargeted lipidomics were employed.
• Analysis of 99 preterm human milk samples.
• Longitudinal assessment of phage and lipid profiles throughout lactation.

Main Results:

• Phages are abundant and prevalent in preterm HM from the first week up to 100 days.
• Phage-host richness increases longitudinally in preterm HM.
• Core phage communities (Staphylococcus- and Propionibacterium-infecting phages) correlate with long-chain fatty acids over lactational age.

Conclusions:

• A significant phage-lipid interaction exists in preterm HM.
• Phage carriage in preterm HM is potentially important for early-life microbiota development.
• Findings suggest strategies for leveraging phage carriage in HM for infant health.