Cited by 475Infant Nutrition and HealthBreastfeeding Practices and InfluencesGut microbiota and health

Mother’s Milk: A purposeful contribution to the development of the infant microbiota and immunity

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Le Doare, Kirsty, Holder, Beth, Bassett, Aisha, Pannaraj, Pia S.·2018·Frontiers in Immunology

Abstract

Breast milk is the perfect nutrition for infants, a result of millions of years of evolution. In addition to providing a source of nutrition, breast milk contains a diverse array of microbiota and myriad biologically active components that are thought to guide the infant's developing mucosal immune system. It is believed that bacteria from the mother's intestine may translocate to breast milk and dynamically transfer to the infant. Such interplay between mother and her infant is a key to establishing a healthy infant intestinal microbiome. These intestinal bacteria protect against many respiratory and diarrheal illnesses, but are subject to environmental stresses such as antibiotic use. Orchestrating the development of the microbiota are the human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), the synthesis of which are partially determined by the maternal genotype. HMOs are thought to play a role in preventing pathogenic bacterial adhesion though multiple mechanisms, while also providing nutrition for the microbiome. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, carry a diverse cargo, including mRNA, miRNA, and cytosolic and membrane-bound proteins, and are readily detectable in human breast milk. Strongly implicated in cell-cell signaling, EVs could therefore may play a further role in the development of the infant microbiome. This review considers the emerging role of breast milk microbiota, bioactive HMOs, and EVs in the establishment of the neonatal microbiome and the consequent potential for modulation of neonatal immune system development.

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  • Some bacterial species found in human breast milk, such as Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp., may transfer from the maternal gut via an entero-mammary pathway and are thought to protect against many respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.

    “Some of the bacterial species found in human breast milk, such as Lactobacillus spp. (sensu lato) and Bifidobacterium spp., may transfer from the maternal gut via an entero-mammary pathway, a recently discovered form of mother-neonate communication, and are thought to protect against many respiratory and GI infections (Le Doare et al., 2018).”

    From Viral Infections, the Microbiome, and Probiotics (2021) · cites this paper as Le Doare et al., 2018

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Authors
Le Doare, K., Holder, B., Bassett, A., & Pannaraj, P. S.
Affiliations
  • Imperial College London (GB)
  • Children's Hospital Los Angeles (US)
  • University of Southern California (US)
Corresponding author
Pannaraj, Pia S.
Venue
Frontiers in Immunology
Published
2018-02-28
Volume
9
Pages
361-361
ISSN
1664-3224 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2791745812
Cited by
475
References
133
Citations by year
2026: 31 · 2025: 50 · 2024: 51 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 71 · 2021: 98 · 2020: 70 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 17
FWCI
7.04
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Frontiers in Immunology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • St George's Online Research Archive (St George's University of London) (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Spiral (Imperial College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (K23 HD072774-02)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Infant Nutrition and Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Breastfeeding Practices and Influences
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
Keywords
breast milk, infant microbiome, neonatal gut microbiota, human milk oligosaccharides, extracellular vesicles, exosomes, mucosal immunity, maternal genotype, pathogen adhesion, antibiotic exposure, cell-to-cell communication
MeSH terms
Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Breast Feeding, Humans, Immunity, Maternally-Acquired, Infant, Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena, Milk, Human, Infant Formula, Microbiota

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