The research, published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, identifies for the first time the role of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) as modulators of the early development of the infant intestinal resistome (antimicrobial resistance genes). These compounds promote bacterial communities associated with a lower presence of these genes.
Éric Úbeda, head of Communication and Outreach at IATA-CSIC, and researcher Mª Carmen Collado, from the Lactic Acid Bacteria and Probiotics group, explained in an interview with Radio Nacional de España that HMOs act by limiting the emergence of antibiotic resistance genes in infants during the first months of life.
This discovery opens new avenues for understanding the relationship between early infant diet and long-term intestinal health, as well as for developing strategies to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
