Antibiotic Exposure Through Human Milk Influences the Infant Gut Microbiome

Abstract

Infant antibiotic treatment is associated with increased risk of developing non-communicable diseases, potentially through disruption of the gut microbiome. However, the impact of indirect antibiotic exposure via human milk remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigate a cohort (n=80) of antibiotic-treated breastfeeding mother-infant dyads and untreated matching controls using integrative multi-omics analyses of fecal, milk, and skin samples (n=1,455). Maternal antibiotic treatment was associated with different infant fecal microbiome and metabolome profiles, including lower abundance of Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium, and higher levels of antimicrobial resistance gene reads. Further, fecal metabolic alterations associated with indirect antibiotic exposure were exacerbated by formula milk supplementation. In a subset of infants (n=61), indirect exposure was associated with higher body mass index (BMI). These findings suggest that maternal antibiotic treatment during lactation may influence the early-life infant gut microbiome with potential long-term implications.