Cell Reports Medicine· 2026Q1
Maternal secretor status and human milk oligosaccharides influence the infant gut resistome
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Maternal secretor status and specific human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) like 2'-fucosyllactose and 6'-sialyllactose shape the infant gut resistome, with exclusive breastfeeding reducing antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs).
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Key points
- Exclusive breastfeeding reduced antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) abundance and diversity in infants.
- Cesarean section was associated with increased ARG diversity in the infant gut.
- Maternal secretor status modified resistome composition in exclusively breastfed infants.
- Specific human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), 2'-fucosyllactose and 6'-sialyllactose, negatively correlated with distinct ARG classes.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
The infant gut resistome is established early in life and is shaped by perinatal exposures, yet the mechanisms underlying its modulation remain unclear. We combined shotgun metagenomics of fecal samples from 57 one-month-old infants and paired milk samples from 50 mothers in the MAMI cohort to investigate the influence of maternal secretor status on early-life resistome development. Longitudinal follow-up at 6 and 12 months, and also further validation in the independent Lifelines NEXT (LLNEXT) cohort, support our findings. Cesarean section (C-section) was associated with increased antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) diversity, whereas exclusive breastfeeding reduced ARG abundance and diversity. Maternal secretor status further modified resistome composition among exclusively breastfed infants. Human milk oligosaccharide profiling identified specific glycans underlying these associations, with 2'-fucosyllactose and 6'-sialyllactose showing negative correlations with distinct ARG classes. These findings identify human milk composition as a key determinant of early-life resistome assembly and a potential target for modulating antimicrobial resistance.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Cell Reports Medicine, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Nutrition and Dietetics
Nutrition and DieteticsNursing