Journal article 210 views 37 downloads
The Impact of Probiotic Supplementation on the Development of the Infant Gut Microbiota: An Exploratory Follow-Up of a Randomised Controlled Trial
,
Daniel A. John,
Sue Jordan ,
Mel Storey,
Cathy Thornton ,
Iveta Garaiova ,
Duolao Wang ,
Stephen J. Allen ,
Daryn R. Michael ,
Susan F. Plummer,
Paul Facey
Microorganisms, Volume: 13, Issue: 5, Start page: 984
Swansea University Authors:
Sue Jordan , Mel Storey, Cathy Thornton , Paul Facey
-
PDF | Version of Record
© 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Download (8.9MB)
DOI (Published version): 10.3390/microorganisms13050984
Abstract
Early-life establishment of the gut microbiota plays a role in lifelong health, with disruptions linked to heightened risks of metabolic and immune disorders. Probiotic supplementation may be used to modulate the infant gut microbiome to promote favourable development. Here, we evaluate how Lab4B pr...
| Published in: | Microorganisms |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2076-2607 |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025
|
| Online Access: |
Check full text
|
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69374 |
| Abstract: |
Early-life establishment of the gut microbiota plays a role in lifelong health, with disruptions linked to heightened risks of metabolic and immune disorders. Probiotic supplementation may be used to modulate the infant gut microbiome to promote favourable development. Here, we evaluate how Lab4B probiotic supplementation shapes the development of the infant gut microbiome over the first 6 months. Faecal samples collected from infants enrolled in PROBAT (ISRCTN26287422), a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, were analysed using culture-dependent and -independent (16S rDNA and metagenomic shotgun sequencing) techniques to examine the composition, diversity, and metabolic capabilities of the microbiome, as well as the abundance of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). Probiotic supplementation encouraged the development of a microbiome with a distinct composition characterised by elevated abundances of Bifidobacteriaceae in the first 6 weeks (p = 0.006) and Lactobacillaceae throughout the first 6 months (p < 0.05 at every 6-week time point), accelerated microbial diversification, reduced abundance of beta-lactam- and cephalosporin-resistance genes, and differences in predicted metabolic capabilities at the start and end points. Supplementation of this neonatal population, which is at high risk of atopy, with the Lab4B probiotic significantly influenced the development of the infant gut microbiota during the first 6 months. |
|---|---|
| Keywords: |
infant gut microbiota development; multi-strain probiotic; atopy; DNA sequencing |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
This research was funded by the Knowledge Exploitation Fund, Collaborative Industrial Research (Project No. HE09 COL 1002), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Accelerate Programme (Project code: PR-0228) and Cultech Ltd. (Port Talbot, UK). |
| Issue: |
5 |
| Start Page: |
984 |