Successional Stages in Infant Gut Microbiota Maturation

After birth, microbial colonization of the infant intestinal tract is important for health later in life. However, this initial process is highly dynamic and influenced by many factors. Studying this process in detail requires a dense longitudinal sampling effort. In the current study, the bacterial microbiota of >300 stool samples was analyzed from 8 healthy infants, suggesting that the infant gut microbial population matures along a path involving distinct microbial constellations and that the timing of these transitions is infant specific and can temporarily retrace upon external events. We also showed that the infant microbial populations show similarities to suboptimal bacterial populations in the guts of adults. These insights are crucial for a better understanding of the dynamics and characteristics of a "healthy gut microbial population" in both infants and adults and might allow the identification of intervention targets in cases of microbial disturbances or disease.