Study shows role of fathers in seeding microbiota of newborns, confirms benefits of maternal fecal microbiota transfer. (Jun 2024) Paternal and induced gut microbiota seeding complement mother-to-infant transmission Origins

[Michael Harrop]

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-role-fathers-seeding-microbiota-newborns.html
https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(24)00176-8

they compared the fecal microbiomes of 73 infants; 21 were born by cesarean section and 52 were born vaginally. They longitudinally collected samples for over a year and compared the microbiota of the babies to those of both their mothers and fathers.

The researchers discovered that many of the strains found in the babies at three weeks, three months, and 12 months originated in the father, not in the mother. These include Bifidobacterium longum strains, which are known to utilize mother's milk oligosaccharides but counterintuitively may originate from the father rather than the mother.

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Highlights​

• Longitudinal metagenomic analyses detail infant gut microbiota seeding dynamics
• Stable transmission from fathers to infants shown in infant-mother-father triads
• Maternal seeding is reduced in cesarean-born infants and after antibiotic use
• Maternal fecal microbiome transplantation increases seeding and replication rates

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Summary​

Microbial colonization of the neonatal gut involves maternal seeding, which is partially disrupted in cesarean-born infants and after intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. However, other physically close individuals could complement such seeding.

To assess the role of both parents and of induced seeding, we analyzed two longitudinal metagenomic datasets (health and early life microbiota [HELMi]: N = 74 infants, 398 samples, and SECFLOR: N = 7 infants, 35 samples) with cesarean-born infants who received maternal fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT).

We found that the father constitutes a stable source of strains for the infant independently of the delivery mode, with the cumulative contribution becoming comparable to that of the mother after 1 year.

Maternal FMT increased mother-infant strain sharing in cesarean-born infants, raising the average bacterial empirical growth rate while reducing pathogen colonization.

Overall, our results indicate that maternal seeding is partly complemented by that of the father and support the potential of induced seeding to restore potential deviations in this process.

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Another study also published June 12 in Cell Host & Microbe by some of the same authors shows that where an infant is born—whether at home or at a hospital—affects transmission of gut microbiota as well. Birth location affects the timing of transmission, except for Bifidobacterium longum, which are transmitted consistently regardless of the setting.

Birthmode and environment-dependent microbiota transmission dynamics are complemented by breastfeeding during the first year (Jun 2024) https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(24)00177-X

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More on the father's role in shaping the child's microbiome: https://humanmicrobiome.info/maternity/#father