Prebiotics and the Infant Microbiota

Prebiotics and the Infant Microbiota. A review of current scientific research, applications and resources.

Bacterial Polysaccharides: Current Innovations and Future Trends

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Prebiotics and the Infant Microbiota

Adapted from L.C. Roger and A.L. McCartney in Probiotics and Prebiotics: Scientific Aspects
Prebiotics and the Infant Microbiota: It has long been established that there is a distinction between the gastrointestinal microbiota harboured by breast- and formula-fed infants. Although microbiological methodologies, infant formulae and the general health status of the community have all improved vastly over the last century, recent studies using modern molecular techniques have confirmed that there are differences in the faecal microbiota of exclusively milk-fed infants (depending on feeding regime). Molecular-based analysis has also highlighted the complexity of this bacterial ecosystem, with inter-individual and intra-individual variations observed, both within and across feeding groups. Coupled with the recognized health and well-being associated with breast-fed infants, the predominance of the bifidobacterial group has fuelled much interest in dietary interventions (or formulae fortifications) to modulate the composition of formula-fed infants' faecal microbiota. The limited clinical data available to date are very promising, with clear evidence of the ability to use prebiotics in infant formulae to elicit a microbiota better resembling that seen in breast-fed infants. However, the long-term effects and health impact are yet to be elucidated.

Prebiotics and the Infant Microbiota Resources

Probiotics and Prebiotics: Scientific Aspects
Foodborne Pathogens: Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Current Issues in Intestinal Microbiology Peer-reviewed journal.
Molecular Methods for Probiotics Research
Taxonomy of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria
Lactobacilli in the Gastrointestinal Tract
Exopolysaccharide Production by Intestinal Lactobacilli
Genome-wide Analysis of Gut Bacteria
Genetically Modified Probiotics
Prebiotics and the Infant Microbiota
Bacterial Therapeutics
Current Issues in Molecular Biology
Molecular Biology Resource