AI Article Synopsis

  • Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) can be transmitted to infants through breast milk, having potential health impacts, especially on preterm and immunocompromised infants, while effects on healthy term infants are generally considered harmless.
  • A study investigating breast milk from breastfeeding full-term mother-infant pairs revealed that CMV-infected milk showed changes in the metabolome and transcriptome, including the upregulation of a specific metabolic pathway.
  • Findings indicate that CMV-associated changes in breast milk composition might influence infant gut microbiome and growth, with varying effects on infant weight related to components in the milk.

Article Abstract

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a highly prevalent herpesvirus that is often transmitted to the neonate via breast milk. Postnatal CMV transmission can have negative health consequences for preterm and immunocompromised infants, but any effects on healthy term infants are thought to be benign. Furthermore, the impact of CMV on the composition of the hundreds of bioactive factors in human milk has not been tested. Here, we utilize a cohort of exclusively breastfeeding full-term mother-infant pairs to test for differences in the milk transcriptome and metabolome associated with CMV, and the impact of CMV in breast milk on the infant gut microbiome and infant growth. We find upregulation of the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) tryptophan-to-kynurenine metabolic pathway in CMV+ milk samples, and that CMV+ milk is associated with decreased Bifidobacterium in the infant gut. Our data indicate two opposing CMV-associated effects on infant growth; with kynurenine positively correlated, and CMV viral load negatively correlated, with infant weight-for-length at 1 month of age. These results suggest CMV transmission, CMV-related changes in milk composition, or both may be modulators of full-term infant development.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11266569PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50282-4DOI Listing

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