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Bifidobacteria and the infant gut: an example of co-evolution and natural selection

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Abstract

Throughout the human life, the gut microbiota interacts with us in a number of different ways, thereby influencing our health status. The acquisition of such an interactive gut microbiota commences at birth. Medical and environmental factors including diet, antibiotic exposure and mode of delivery are major factors that shape the composition of the microbial communities in the infant gut. Among the most abundant members of the infant microbiota are species belonging to the Bifidobacterium genus, which are believed to confer beneficial effects upon their host. Bifidobacteria may be acquired directly from the mother by vertical transmission and their persistence in the infant gut is associated with their saccharolytic activity toward glycans that are abundant in the infant gut. Here, we discuss the establishment of the infant gut microbiota and the contribution of bifidobacteria to this early life microbial consortium.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the EU Joint Programming Initiative—a Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life (JPI HDHL, http://www.healthydietforhealthylife.eu/) and the MIUR to MV. We thank GenProbio srl for financial support of the Laboratory of Probiogenomics. LM is supported by Fondazione Cariparma, Parma, Italy. SD is supported by Fondazione Caritro, Trento, Italy. DvS is a member of The APC Microbiome Institute funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), through the Irish Government’s National Development Plan (Grant number SFI/12/RC/2273).

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  1. Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy

    Francesca Turroni, Christian Milani, Sabrina Duranti, Chiara Ferrario, Gabriele Andrea Lugli, Leonardo Mancabelli & Marco Ventura

  2. APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland

    Douwe van Sinderen

  3. Microbiome Research Hub, University of Parma, Parma, Italy

    Francesca Turroni & Marco Ventura

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  1. Francesca Turroni
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  2. Christian Milani
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Correspondence to Marco Ventura.

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Turroni, F., Milani, C., Duranti, S. et al. Bifidobacteria and the infant gut: an example of co-evolution and natural selection. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 75, 103–118 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-017-2672-0

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