The researchers in this new study had previously studied the human milk (HM) microbiome in mothers living in Spain. In their new study, HM samples were obtained from outside Spain, including Finland, China, and South Africa, and their findings support the existence of a "breast milk mycobiota" under healthy conditions.
The most prevalent organisms in HM samples across different countries were from the genera Malassezia and Davidiella. The human milk microbiome was also compared in mothers who had given birth vaginally with that from mothers who had birthed via cesarean section. Among mothers delivering vaginally, certain fungi were more prevalent, including those of the genus Cryptococcus, although “mode of delivery made no difference in fungal diversity or richness.”
Title: Mycobiome Profiles in Breast Milk from Healthy Women Depend on Mode of Delivery, Geographic Location, and Interaction with Bacteria.
In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2019 Apr 18;85(9). pii: e02994-18. doi: 10.1128/AEM.02994-18.
Authors: Alba Boix-Amorós, Fernando Puente-Sánchez, Elloise du Toit, Kaisa M. Linderborg, Yumei Zhang, Baoru Yang, Seppo Salminen, Erika Isolauri, Javier Tamames, Alex Mira, Maria Carmen Collado.
The ScienceDaily press release: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190301133843.htm