Diversity and Stability of Bacterial Communities in Human Milk
Author Information
Author(s): Katherine M. Hunt, James A. Foster, Larry J. Forney, Ursel M. E. Schütte, Daniel L. Beck, Zaid Abdo, Lawrence K. Fox, Janet E. Williams, Michelle K. McGuire, Mark A. McGuire
Primary Institution: University of Idaho
Hypothesis
Human milk contains a greater diversity of bacterial phylotypes than previously noted, and these communities would be stable over time within each individual lactating woman.
Conclusion
Human milk contains a collection of bacteria that is more diverse than previously reported and shows varying stability over time among individuals.
Supporting Evidence
- Milk bacterial communities were generally complex with several genera representing greater than 5% of the relative community abundance.
- Only 9 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found in every sample from every subject, representing about half of the microbial community.
- Some subjects showed consistent bacterial communities over time, while others exhibited significant variation.
Takeaway
This study found that human milk has many different types of bacteria, which can change over time for different mothers.
Methodology
Milk samples were collected from 16 healthy lactating women at three time points over four weeks, and bacterial communities were analyzed using pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene.
Potential Biases
Potential contamination from skin bacteria despite cleaning procedures.
Limitations
The study was limited to a small sample size and self-reported health status of participants.
Participant Demographics
Participants were breastfeeding women aged 20-40, self-reported as healthy and free from lactational mastitis.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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