We examined the prebiotic potential of 32 food ingredients on the developing infant microbiome using an in vitro gastroileal digestion and colonic fermentation model. There were significant changes ...in the concentrations of short-chain fatty-acid metabolites, confirming the potential of the tested ingredients to stimulate bacterial metabolism. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing for a subset of the ingredients revealed significant increases in the relative abundances of the lactate- and acetate-producing Bifidobacteriaceae, Enterococcaceae, and Lactobacillaceae, and lactate- and acetate-utilizing Prevotellaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Veillonellaceae. Selective changes in specific bacterial groups were observed. Infant whole-milk powder and an oat flour enhanced Bifidobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria. A New Zealand-origin spinach powder enhanced Prevotellaceae and Lachnospiraceae, while fruit and vegetable powders increased a mixed consortium of beneficial gut microbiota. All food ingredients demonstrated a consistent decrease in Clostridium perfringens, with this organism being increased in the carbohydrate-free water control. While further studies are required, this study demonstrates that the selected food ingredients can modulate the infant gut microbiome composition and metabolism in vitro. This approach provides an opportunity to design nutrient-rich complementary foods that fulfil infants’ growth needs and support the maturation of the infant gut microbiome.
Strictly anaerobic
spp. are characterized by their vast metabolic potential. As members of the Prevotellaceae family, they represent the most abundant organisms in the rumen and are typically found ...in monogastrics such as pigs and humans. Within their largely anoxic habitats, these bacteria are considered to rely primarily on fermentation for energy conservation. A recent study of the rumen microbiome identified multiple subunits of the Na
-translocating NADH:quinone oxidoreductase (NQR) belonging to different
spp. Commonly, the NQR is associated with biochemical energy generation by respiration. The existence of this Na
pump in
spp. may indicate an important role for electrochemical Na
gradients in their anaerobic metabolism. However, detailed information about the potential activity of the NQR in
spp. is not available. Here, the presence of a functioning NQR in the strictly anaerobic model organism
B
4 was verified by conducting mass spectrometric, biochemical, and kinetic experiments. Our findings propose that
B
4 and other
spp. retrieved from the rumen operate a respiratory NQR together with a fumarate reductase which suggests that these ruminal bacteria utilize a sodium motive force generated during respiratory NADH:fumarate oxidoreduction.
Recent large-scale cloning studies have shown that the ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes may be important in the obesity-associated gut microbiota, but the species these phyla represent in this ...ecosystem has not been examined. The Bacteroidetes data from the recent Turnbaugh study were examined to determine those members of the phylum detected in human faecal samples. In addition, FISH analysis was performed on faecal samples from 17 healthy, nonobese donors using probe Bac303, routinely used by gut microbiologists to enumerate Bacteroides-Prevotella populations in faecal samples, and another probe (CFB286) whose target range has some overlap with that of Bac303. Sequence analysis of the Turnbaugh data showed that 23/519 clones were chimeras or erroneous sequences; all good sequences were related to species of the order Bacteroidales, but no one species was present in all donors. FISH analysis demonstrated that approximately one-quarter of the healthy, nonobese donors harboured high numbers of Bacteroidales not detected by probe Bac303. It is clear that Bacteroidales populations in human faecal samples have been underestimated in FISH-based studies. New probes and complementary primer sets should be designed to examine numerical and compositional changes in the Bacteroidales during dietary interventions and in studies of the obesity-associated microbiota in humans and animal model systems.
Dysbiosis is linked to the cause of several human diseases, many of which having an immunity related component. This work investigated whether mice genetically selected for low or high antibody ...production display differences in intestinal bacterial communities, and consisted in the comparison of fecal 16SV6-V8 rDNA PCR amplicons resolved by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) of five each of low (LIII) and high (HIII) antibody producing mice. 16SV6 rDNA amplicons of 2 mice from each line were sequenced.
LIII mice were grouped in a single TGGE cluster, displayed a low α-diversity, and were distinguished by low Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio.
The results suggest that genetically driven low antibody production in mice is associated with gut dysbiosis.
Prevotella multisaccharivorax Sakamoto et al. 2005 is a species of the large genus Prevotella, which belongs to the family Prevotellaceae. The species is of medical interest because its members are ...able to cause diseases in the human oral cavity such as periodontitis, root caries and others. Although 77 Prevotella genomes have already been sequenced or are targeted for sequencing, this is only the second completed genome sequence of a type strain of a species within the genus Prevotella to be published. The 3,388,644 bp long genome is assembled in three non-contiguous contigs, harbors 2,876 protein-coding and 75 RNA genes and is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.
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