Human Breast milk Mycobiota

Recent evidence reported the presence of fungal species in human breast milk from healthy mothers, suggesting a potential role on infant mycobiome development. The impact of environmental and perinatal factors, such as geographic location, on breast milk mycobiota are unknown. In the present work, we aimed to characterize the influence of geographical location and the effect of mode of delivery on the healthy human breast milk mycobiota by using ITS1 gene region sequencing. Basidiomycota and Ascomycota were found to be the dominant phyla, with Malassezia and Davidiella being the most prevalent genera. A core formed by Malassezia, Davidiella, Sistotrema and Penicillium was shared in milk samples from all countries, and specific shifts on the composition were associated to geographic location and delivery mode. Network analysis of bacteria and fungi showed complex interactions between them, that exhibited differences based on geographical locations, mode of delivery and maternal features (age and BMI). Those interactions could have a significant impact on the colonization and development of the infant microbiota and mycobiota, as well as on the immunological and metabolic health programming. The present study opens new perspectives on the study of the human breast milk microbiome.