Cited by 649Gut microbiota and healthInfant Nutrition and HealthProbiotics and Fermented Foods

Diversity of Bifidobacteria within the Infant Gut Microbiota

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Turroni, Francesca, Peano, Clelia, Pass, Daniel A., Foroni, Elena, Severgnini, Marco, Claesson, Marcus J., Kerr, Colm, Hourihane, Jonathan +9 more·2012·PLoS ONE

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) represents one of the most densely populated microbial ecosystems studied to date. Although this microbial consortium has been recognized to have a crucial impact on human health, its precise composition is still subject to intense investigation. Among the GIT microbiota, bifidobacteria represent an important commensal group, being among the first microbial colonizers of the gut. However, the prevalence and diversity of members of the genus Bifidobacterium in the infant intestinal microbiota has not yet been fully characterized, while some inconsistencies exist in literature regarding the abundance of this genus. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the current report, we assessed the complexity of the infant intestinal bifidobacterial population by analysis of pyrosequencing data of PCR amplicons derived from two hypervariable regions of the 16 S rRNA gene. Eleven faecal samples were collected from healthy infants of different geographical origins (Italy, Spain or Ireland), feeding type (breast milk or formula) and mode of delivery (vaginal or caesarean delivery), while in four cases, faecal samples of corresponding mothers were also analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to several previously published culture-independent studies, our analysis revealed a predominance of bifidobacteria in the infant gut as well as a profile of co-occurrence of bifidobacterial species in the infant's intestine.

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  • PS infants showed earlier and more robust colonisation of infant-associated Bifidobacterium species, particularly B. breve and B. longum subsp. infantis, compared to NPS infants.

    “PS infants showed an earlier and more robust colonisation of infant-associated Bifidobacterium species, particularly B. breve and B. longum subsp. infantis, compared to NPS infants51–53.”

    From Impact of early life antibiotic and probiotic treatment on gut microbiome and resistome of very-low-birth-weight preterm infants. (2025) · cites this paper as [52]

    The Results sections on core microbiota and interindividual variability (page not provided) identify B. breve and B. longum in infant samples. They do not identify B. longum subsp. infantis or compare PS with NPS infants, so they cannot support the claimed earlier or more robust colonisation in PS infants. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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  1. [44]Diamond JM 1975 Assembly of species community. Ecology and Evolution of Communities, eds Cody ML, Diamond JM (Harvard Univ Press, Cambridge, MA), 342–444

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Authors
Turroni, F., Peano, C., Pass, D. A., Foroni, E., Severgnini, M., Claesson, M. J., Kerr, C., Hourihane, J., Murray, D., Fuligni, F., Gueimonde, M., Margolles, A., De Bellis, G., O’Toole, P. W., van Sinderen, D., Marchesi, J. R., & Ventura, M.
Affiliations
  • University of Parma (IT)
  • National Research Council (IT)
  • Cardiff University (GB)
  • University College Cork (IE)
  • Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES)
Corresponding author
Ventura, Marco
Venue
PLoS ONE
Published
2012-05-11
Volume
7
Issue
5
Pages
e36957
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2048550695
Cited by
647
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 17 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 49 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 71 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 46 · 2017: 56 · 2016: 52 · 2015: 50 · 2014: 48 · 2013: 41 · 2012: 17
FWCI
20.04
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (acceptedVersion)
  • DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Royal Society
  • Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology
  • Science Foundation Ireland (02/CE/B124, 07/CE/B1368)
  • Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca
  • Natural Environment Research Council (NBAF010005)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Infant Nutrition and Health
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
Keywords
Bifidobacterium, infant gut microbiota, bacterial diversity, 16S rRNA gene, fecal microbiota, breastfeeding, bottle feeding, mode of delivery, vaginal delivery, cesarean section, maternal microbiota, species co-occurrence, gut commensal bacteria
MeSH terms
Base Sequence, Bifidobacterium, Feces, Female, Genes, Bacterial, Humans, Infant, Phylogeny, Pregnancy, RNA, Bacterial, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S, Genetic Variation, DNA Primers, Gastrointestinal Tract, Metagenome

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