Effects of bovine, caprine or ovine milk on ileal and colonic microbiota composition and functional potential in an early postnatal model (the pig) of the human infant : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Biological Sciences at the School of Food and Advanced Technology, College of Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Date
2022
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Massey University
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Abstract
The gastrointestinal microbiota plays a vital role during the first 1,000 days of postnatal life. Nutrition is among the foremost determinants of its establishment during this life stage. Breast milk meets all the nutritional needs of infants; however, breastfeeding is not always possible. Infant formulae are typically based on the properties of bovine milk. However, caregivers increasingly seek other ruminant milk to avoid perceived health issues reported with bovine milk. However, the effects of such formulae on the small and large intestinal microbiome in early postnatal life have received limited attention. The research undertaken aimed to understand the effects of consuming whole fresh bovine, caprine or ovine milk over two weeks on the ileal and colonic microbiota in pigs as a model of the human infant. DNA was extracted from ileal and colonic digesta samples at the end of the intervention. Following quality control checks performed in-house and externally, shotgun metagenomics of the extracted DNA was performed to determine the composition and functional potential of the microbiota in these samples. Consuming bovine, caprine, or ovine milk did not affect the composition of ileal and colonic microbiota at the phylum and family levels. The relative abundance of some taxa in the ileal and colonic microbiota at the genus level was different between milk groups. However, the functional potential inferred from gene abundances of ileal and colonic microbiota were similar between milk groups. Limitations included a lower than expected ileal sample size and microbiota assessment at a single timepoint. More research is required to better understand how formulae made up of bovine, caprine, or ovine milk affect the ileal and colonic microbiota and potential benefits for the function of the host tissue locally and elsewhere in the body in pigs as a model of human infants. Equally important, studies investigating the effects of these formulae on the intestinal microbiota are required in human infants.
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Appendix A is ©The Authors and republished under a CC BY 4.0 license.