Source of human milk (mother or donor) is more important than fortifier type (human or bovine) in shaping the preterm infant microbiome

• Published in: Cell reports. Medicine 2022-09, Vol.3 (9), p.100712, Article 100712
• Main Authors: Kumbhare, Shreyas V., Jones, William-Diehl, Fast, Sharla, Bonner, Christine, Jong, Geert ‘t, Van Domselaar, Gary, Graham, Morag, Narvey, Michael, Azad, Meghan B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; calprotectin; Cattle; F2-Isoprostanes; Female; gut inflammation; gut microbiome; human donor milk; human milk fortifiers; Humans; Infant; Infant Formula; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex; Microbiota; Milk, Human; Mothers; mother’s own milk; oxidative stress; very low birth weight infants
• ISSN: 2666-3791; 2666-3791
• DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100712

Milk fortifiers help meet the nutritional needs of preterm infants receiving their mother’s own milk (MOM) or donor human milk. We conducted a randomized clinical trial (NCT03214822) in 30 very low birth weight premature neonates comparing bovine-derived human milk fortifier (BHMF) versus human-derived fortifier (H2MF). We found that fortifier type does not affect the overall microbiome, although H2MF infants were less often colonized by an unclassified member of Clostridiales Family XI. Secondary analyses show that MOM intake is strongly associated with weight gain and microbiota composition, including Bifidobacterium, Veillonella, and Propionibacterium enrichment. Finally, we show that while oxidative stress (urinary F2-isoprostanes) is not affected by fortifier type or MOM intake, fecal calprotectin is higher in H2MF infants and lower in those consuming more MOM. Overall, the source of human milk (mother versus donor) appears more important than the type of milk fortifier (human versus bovine) in shaping preterm infant gut microbiota. [Display omitted] •Milk fortifier type (human versus bovine) has little impact on the preterm microbiome•Milk source (mother versus donor) is strongly associated with microbiome composition•Feeding mother’s own milk is linked to better weight gain and less gut inflammation Kumbhare et al. demonstrate that the type of milk fortifier (bovine versus human) has no major impact on the gut microbiome of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, whereas the source of human milk (mother versus donor) is strongly associated with the gut microbiome, healthier weight gain, and reduced gut inflammation.