Impact of Breast Milk Microbiota on the Neonatal Intestinal Microbiota according to Delivery type and Circumstance, a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: A mother's microbiota, including that in her gut, vagina, and breast milk, plays a big role in her baby's health. Imbalances in this microbiota can lead to problems during pregnancy. Several things affect how this microbiota gets passed down to a newborn. Objective:investigating the factors affecting passage of microbiota from the mother to the baby, and to see how breast milk bacteria and breastfeeding influence the types of bacteria in a newborn's gut. Methods: This is a cross sectional study that aimed to assess the impact of breast milk microbiota on the neonatal intestinal Microbiota. The study was carried out on a total of 40 mother-infant pairs. 8 had normal vaginal delivery and 32 had caesarean section delivery. All study participants met our collection criteria. Ethical considerations, history taking, and examination were done. Mother's breast milk samples were collected in sterile units and preserved at minus 18 celsius (oC) freezer. Neonatal stool samples were collected using the stool collection protocol using sterile containers. Stool samples that were not analyzed immediately were stored in minus 80 oC freezer. All specimens including mothers breast milk and neonatal stool were subjected to Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction and real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to assess the microbiota. Results and conclusion: most of the participated neonates were males. Most of the mothers were obese, had good hygiene, and lived in urban places. Cesarean section was the most frequent (80.0%) mode of delivery. Bifido bacteria was the most abundant type found in both neonates’ stool and breast milk followed by Strept. and Staph. Neonates with positive stool Bifido had significantly higher gestational age. A significant association between the presence of stool Bifido and type of feeding was found. The antibiotics administration, either in infants or their mothers, was negatively associated with the presence of stool Bifido bacteria. Our results indicated that neonatal age, weight, sex and mode of delivery showed no significant association with any of the three types of bacteria either in the stool or milk.