FIG 4 .

16S rRNA gene survey reveals a moderate impact of formula-based B. lactis supplementation on the fecal microbial community profile. (A) Principal-coordinate analysis (PCoA) of unweighted UniFrac distance of 16S rRNA gene sequences exhibits a difference between the breast-fed group and the two formula-fed groups. (B to D) The corresponding change at 4 weeks (B), 8 weeks (C), and 12 weeks (D) of age between the two formula-fed groups suggested a shift in fecal microbial community structure in response to B. lactis supplementation that was moderate and temporal at the time of observation, exhibiting a trend of moving toward a state that was different from that of the standard infant formula group near the end of the study.