Distinguishable Influence of the Delivery Mode, Feeding Pattern, and Infant Sex on Dynamic Alterations in the Intestinal Microbiota in the First Year of Life

The delivery mode, the feeding pattern and infant sex significantly influence the development of the infant gut flora. However, the extent to which these factors contribute to the establishment of the gut microbiota at different stages has rarely been studied. The factors that play a dominant role in determining microbial colonization of the infant gut at specific time points are unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the different contributions of the delivery mode, the feeding pattern and infant sex to the composition of the infant gut microbiome. Here, 213 fecal samples from 55 infants at five ages (0, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum) were collected, and the composition of the gut microbiota via 16S rRNA sequencing was analyzed. The results showed that the average relative abundances of four genera, Bifidobacterium , Bacteroides , Parabacteroides , and Phascolarctobacterium , were increased in vaginally delivered infants versus cesarean section-delivered infants, while those of ten genera, such as Salmonella and Enterobacter , were reduced. The relative proportions of Anaerococcus and Peptostreptococcaceae were higher in exclusive breastfeeding than in combined feeding, while those of Coriobacteriaceae, Lachnospiraceae and Erysipelotrichaceae were lower. The average relative abundances of two genera, Alistipes and Anaeroglobus , were increased in male infants compared with female infants, whereas those of the phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were reduced. During the first year of life, the average UniFrac distances revealed that the individual difference in the gut microbial composition in vaginally delivered infants was greater than that in cesarean section-delivered infants ( P < 0.001) and that infants who received combined feeding had greater individual microbiota differences than exclusively breastfed infants ( P < 0.01). The delivery mode, infant sex, and the feeding pattern were the dominant factors determining colonization of the infant gut microbiota at 0 months, from 1 to 6 months, and at 12 months postpartum, respectively. This study demonstrated for the first time that infant sex accounted for the dominant contribution to infant gut microbial development from 1 to 6 months postpartum. More broadly, this study effectively established the extent to which the delivery mode, the feeding pattern and infant sex contribute to the development of the gut microbiota at various time points during the first year of life.