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Gut microbiota of healthy Canadian infants: profiles by mode of delivery and infant diet at 4 months

Meghan B. Azad, Theodore Konya, Heather Maughan, David S. Guttman, Catherine J. Field, Radha S. Chari, Malcolm R. Sears, Allan B. Becker, James A. Scott and Anita L. Kozyrskyj; on behalf of the CHILD Study Investigators
CMAJ March 19, 2013 185 (5) 385-394; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.121189
Meghan B. Azad
From the Departments of Pediatrics (Azad, Kozyrskyj), Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences (Field), and Obstetrics and Gynecology (Chari), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.; the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Konya, Scott) and the Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (Maughan, Guttman), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; the Department of Medicine (Sears), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health (Becker), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.; and the Manitoba Institute of Child Health (Becker, Kozyrskyj), Winnipeg, Man.
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Theodore Konya
From the Departments of Pediatrics (Azad, Kozyrskyj), Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences (Field), and Obstetrics and Gynecology (Chari), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.; the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Konya, Scott) and the Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (Maughan, Guttman), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; the Department of Medicine (Sears), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health (Becker), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.; and the Manitoba Institute of Child Health (Becker, Kozyrskyj), Winnipeg, Man.
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Heather Maughan
From the Departments of Pediatrics (Azad, Kozyrskyj), Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences (Field), and Obstetrics and Gynecology (Chari), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.; the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Konya, Scott) and the Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (Maughan, Guttman), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; the Department of Medicine (Sears), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health (Becker), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.; and the Manitoba Institute of Child Health (Becker, Kozyrskyj), Winnipeg, Man.
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David S. Guttman
From the Departments of Pediatrics (Azad, Kozyrskyj), Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences (Field), and Obstetrics and Gynecology (Chari), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.; the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Konya, Scott) and the Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (Maughan, Guttman), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; the Department of Medicine (Sears), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health (Becker), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.; and the Manitoba Institute of Child Health (Becker, Kozyrskyj), Winnipeg, Man.
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Catherine J. Field
From the Departments of Pediatrics (Azad, Kozyrskyj), Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences (Field), and Obstetrics and Gynecology (Chari), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.; the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Konya, Scott) and the Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (Maughan, Guttman), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; the Department of Medicine (Sears), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health (Becker), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.; and the Manitoba Institute of Child Health (Becker, Kozyrskyj), Winnipeg, Man.
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Radha S. Chari
From the Departments of Pediatrics (Azad, Kozyrskyj), Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences (Field), and Obstetrics and Gynecology (Chari), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.; the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Konya, Scott) and the Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (Maughan, Guttman), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; the Department of Medicine (Sears), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health (Becker), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.; and the Manitoba Institute of Child Health (Becker, Kozyrskyj), Winnipeg, Man.
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Malcolm R. Sears
From the Departments of Pediatrics (Azad, Kozyrskyj), Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences (Field), and Obstetrics and Gynecology (Chari), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.; the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Konya, Scott) and the Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (Maughan, Guttman), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; the Department of Medicine (Sears), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health (Becker), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.; and the Manitoba Institute of Child Health (Becker, Kozyrskyj), Winnipeg, Man.
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Allan B. Becker
From the Departments of Pediatrics (Azad, Kozyrskyj), Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences (Field), and Obstetrics and Gynecology (Chari), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.; the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Konya, Scott) and the Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (Maughan, Guttman), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; the Department of Medicine (Sears), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health (Becker), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.; and the Manitoba Institute of Child Health (Becker, Kozyrskyj), Winnipeg, Man.
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James A. Scott
From the Departments of Pediatrics (Azad, Kozyrskyj), Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences (Field), and Obstetrics and Gynecology (Chari), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.; the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Konya, Scott) and the Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (Maughan, Guttman), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; the Department of Medicine (Sears), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health (Becker), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.; and the Manitoba Institute of Child Health (Becker, Kozyrskyj), Winnipeg, Man.
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Anita L. Kozyrskyj
From the Departments of Pediatrics (Azad, Kozyrskyj), Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences (Field), and Obstetrics and Gynecology (Chari), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.; the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Konya, Scott) and the Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (Maughan, Guttman), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; the Department of Medicine (Sears), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health (Becker), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.; and the Manitoba Institute of Child Health (Becker, Kozyrskyj), Winnipeg, Man.
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  • For correspondence: kozyrsky@ualberta.ca
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Abstract

Background: The gut microbiota is essential to human health throughout life, yet the acquisition and development of this microbial community during infancy remains poorly understood. Meanwhile, there is increasing concern over rising rates of cesarean delivery and insufficient exclusive breastfeeding of infants in developed countries. In this article, we characterize the gut microbiota of healthy Canadian infants and describe the influence of cesarean delivery and formula feeding.

Methods: We included a subset of 24 term infants from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) birth cohort. Mode of delivery was obtained from medical records, and mothers were asked to report on infant diet and medication use. Fecal samples were collected at 4 months of age, and we characterized the microbiota composition using high-throughput DNA sequencing.

Results: We observed high variability in the profiles of fecal microbiota among the infants. The profiles were generally dominated by Actinobacteria (mainly the genus Bifidobacterium) and Firmicutes (with diverse representation from numerous genera). Compared with breastfed infants, formula-fed infants had increased richness of species, with overrepresentation of Clostridium difficile. Escherichia–Shigella and Bacteroides species were underrepresented in infants born by cesarean delivery. Infants born by elective cesarean delivery had particularly low bacterial richness and diversity.

Interpretation: These findings advance our understanding of the gut microbiota in healthy infants. They also provide new evidence for the effects of delivery mode and infant diet as determinants of this essential microbial community in early life.

See related commentary by Song and colleagues on page 373 and at www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.130147

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Canadian Medical Association Journal: 185 (5)
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Vol. 185, Issue 5
19 Mar 2013
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Gut microbiota of healthy Canadian infants: profiles by mode of delivery and infant diet at 4 months
Meghan B. Azad, Theodore Konya, Heather Maughan, David S. Guttman, Catherine J. Field, Radha S. Chari, Malcolm R. Sears, Allan B. Becker, James A. Scott, Anita L. Kozyrskyj
CMAJ Mar 2013, 185 (5) 385-394; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.121189

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Gut microbiota of healthy Canadian infants: profiles by mode of delivery and infant diet at 4 months
Meghan B. Azad, Theodore Konya, Heather Maughan, David S. Guttman, Catherine J. Field, Radha S. Chari, Malcolm R. Sears, Allan B. Becker, James A. Scott, Anita L. Kozyrskyj
CMAJ Mar 2013, 185 (5) 385-394; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.121189
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