Distal colon microbiome Targeted loci

The gut microbiota of breast-fed and formula-fed infants differ significantly, as do the risks for allergies, gut dysfunction and upper respiratory tract infections. Due to practical limitations associated with infant gut sample collection, microbiota role in infant immune system development is poorly understood.To understand the mechanism, we investigated distal colon microbiome, morphology, immune response and tryptophan metabolism in a piglet model, in which piglets were sow-fed, or fed soy or dairy milk-based formula from postnatal day 2 to 21. Our data demonstrates that formula diet alters the colon microbiome and appears to shift tryptophan metabolism from serotonin to tryptamine, which may lead to greater histamine levels and risk of allergies in infants.