Human Milk Microbiota Exhibits �Taxonomic Divergence but Functional Stability

Abstract

Human milk (HM) composition shapes the infant gut microbiota and intestinal barrier function. It may vary according to maternal diet, lactation stage, timing of expression and geographical origin. We established a multicentre international consortium including six human milk banks and collected over 180 HM samples from voluntary donors at three lactation time points. By combining metagenomics and mass spectrometry, we investigated temporal and geographical variation in HM microbiota and biochemical composition during the first six months of lactation.