Abundance of Bifidobacterium species in the infant gut microbiota and associations with maternal-infant characteristics in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract

Bifidobacteria are considered to be an important member of the early infant gut microbiota, but several factors may influence the timing of their emergence and overall abundance. Moreover, bifidobacteria abundance varies considerably between different species and subspecies, underscoring the importance of techniques that enable sub-speciation. B. longum subspecies infantis ( B. infantis ) is thought to have several health-promoting properties, and despite growing interest in the use of B. infantis to promote health (e.g., probiotics), relatively few studies have explored its natural patterns of colonization, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. By applying (sub)species-specific qPCR, we precisely tracked the timing of emergence, longitudinal abundance patterns, and ecological dynamics of B. infantis , B. longum , and B. breve in the postnatal period, which provided new insights to inform the design of targeted microbiota-modifying interventions in early infancy.