AUTHOR=Colston Josh M. , Taniuchi Mami , Ahmed Tahmina , Ferdousi Tania , Kabir Furqan , Mduma Estomih , Nshama Rosemary , Iqbal Najeeha Talat , Haque Rashidul , Ahmed Tahmeed , Ali Bhutta Zulfiqar , Kosek Margaret N. , Platts-Mills James A. 

TITLE=Intestinal Colonization With Bifidobacterium longum Subspecies Is Associated With Length at Birth, Exclusive Breastfeeding, and Decreased Risk of Enteric Virus Infections, but Not With Histo-Blood Group Antigens, Oral Vaccine Response or Later Growth in Three Birth Cohorts

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2022.804798

DOI=10.3389/fped.2022.804798

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Bifidobacterium longum</italic> subspecies detected in infant stool have been associated with numerous subsequent health outcomes and are potential early markers of deviation from healthy developmental trajectories. This analysis derived indicators of carriage and early colonization with <italic>B. infantis</italic> and <italic>B. longum</italic> and quantified their associations with a panel of early-life exposures and outcomes. In a sub-study nested within a multi-site birth cohort, extant stool samples from infants in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Tanzania were tested for presence and quantity of two <italic>Bifidobacterium longum</italic> subspecies. The results were matched to indicators of nutritional status, enteropathogen infection, histo-blood group antigens, vaccine response and feeding status and regression models were fitted to test for associations while adjusting for covariates. <italic>B. infantis</italic> was associated with lower quantity of and decreased odds of colonization with <italic>B. longum</italic>, and vice versa. Length at birth was associated with a 0.36 increase in log<sub>10</sub><italic>B. infantis</italic> and a 0.28 decrease in <italic>B. longum</italic> quantity at 1 month of age. <italic>B. infantis</italic> colonization was associated with fewer viral infections and small reductions in the risk of rotavirus and sapovirus infections, but not reduced overall diarrheal disease risk. No associations with vaccine responses, HBGAs or later nutritional status were identified. Suboptimal intrauterine growth and a shorter duration of exclusive breastfeeding may predispose infants to early intestinal colonization with the <italic>B. longum</italic> subspecies at the expense of <italic>B. infantis</italic>, thus denying them potential benefits of reduced enteric virus episodes.</p>