Bacterial composition of the human milk microbiome across lactation

Research has illustrated the presence of a diverse range of microbiota in human milk. The composition of the milk microbiome varies across different stages of lactation, emphasizing the need to consider the lactation stage when studying its composition. Additionally, the transfer of both milk and skin microbiota during breastfeeding is crucial for understanding their collective impact on infant health and development. Further exploration of the complete breastfeeding microbiome is necessary to unravel the role these organisms play in infant development. We aim to longitudinally assess the bacterial breastfeeding microbiome across stages of lactation. This includes all the bacteria that infants are exposed to during breastfeeding, such as bacteria found within human milk and any bacteria found on the breast and nipple. Forty-six human milk samples were collected from 15 women at 1, 4, 7, and 10 months postpartum. Metagenomic analysis of the bacterial microbiome for these samples was perf..., Participants
Samples were collected from 15 women, who had experienced healthy pregnancies and deliveries, across lactation as part of the Baby Connectome Project and the Baby Connectome Project—Enriched, a joint effort between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. No women included reported having taken any antibiotics within 3 months of providing samples. Nine of the women exclusively breastfed through six months, while the other six did supplement with infant formula they still received more breast milk compared to infant formula through six months.
Milk collection and processing
Milk was collected at the University of Minnesota when the dyad was on site for behavioral data collection, and was timed to coincide with the 2nd feed of the day whenever possible. Each participant was provided a quiet, private space equipped with a Medela Symphony hospital grade breast pump and a sterilized set of pump consumables. Mothers were asked t..., , # Bacterial composition of the human milk microbiome across lactation

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rfj6q57j9](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rfj6q57j9)

Longitudinal bacterial composition of human milk across lactation in 15 healthy lactating people as analyzed in a forthcoming publication.

## Description of the data and file structure

Data are organized into two files, Milk_Metagenome_Taxa_Table.csv and Sample_Age_Participant.txt. 

Column definitions for Milk_Metagenome_Taxa_Table.csv:

     Name: Name of bacteria specified by CosmosID

     Kingdom: Taxonomic kingdom

     Phylum: Taxonomic phylum

     Class: Taxonomic class

     Order: Taxonomic order

     Family: Taxonomic family

     Genus: Taxonomic genus

     Species: Taxonomic species

     The 50 following column headers represent individual samples

     Taxonomy ID: ID assigned by CosmosID

     Taxonomic Lineage: Combined taxonomic lineage

Column definitions for Sample_Age_Participant.csv:

     Age (months): Infa...