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Members of the throat microflora among infants with different feeding methods
1Maternal & Child Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan.
Insights
Breastfed infants show higher levels of beneficial throat bacteria, including gamma Streptococcus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, compared to formula-fed infants. This suggests a potential protective effect of breastfeeding on infant oral microflora development.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Pediatrics
- Immunology
Background:
- Normal throat microflora play a crucial role in preventing pathogenic bacterial infections through antagonistic activities.
- Understanding the composition of infant throat microflora is essential for assessing early-life immune development and health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare the throat microflora composition in exclusively breastfed, mixed-fed, and exclusively formula-fed infants at one month of age.
- To identify predominant bacterial species and their incidence in relation to infant feeding practices.
Main Methods:
- Microbiological analysis of throat swabs from 60 infants (30 exclusively breastfed, 15 mixed-fed, 15 exclusively formula-fed) at one month of age.
- Identification and quantification of bacterial species, focusing on Streptococcus and Staphylococcus genera.
Main Results:
- All infants studied harbored alpha-hemolytic Streptococcus in their throat microflora.
- A higher incidence of gamma Streptococcus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was observed in exclusively breastfed infants.
- Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was identified as one of the three predominant bacterial species in exclusively breastfed infants.
Conclusions:
- Breastfeeding appears to promote a distinct composition of infant throat microflora, characterized by a higher prevalence of certain beneficial bacteria.
- The findings suggest that breastfeeding may influence the early colonization of the oral microbiome, potentially contributing to a more robust defense against pathogens.
Abstract:
Normal throat microflora have an important role of antagonistic activity against pathogenic bacteria. We studied members of throat microflora of 30 exclusively breastfed, 15 mixed-fed and 15 exclusively formula-fed infants at the age of 1 month. All infants harboured alpha haemolytic Streptococcus. The incidence of gamma Streptococcus and coagulase negative Staphylococcus's isolation from breastfed infants was higher. We also found that coagulase negative Staphylococcus is one of three predominant bacterial species in breastfed infants.