TABLE 3.
Alpha bacterial diversity metrics (richness, Simpson evenness, Pielou's J, and Shannon diversity) during the first 6 mo postpartum in infant feces, infant oral, maternal feces, maternal oral, and milk samples1
| Time postpartum | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | Day 5 | Day 10 | 1 mo | 2 mo | 3 mo | 4 mo | 5 mo | 6 mo | |
| Richness | |||||||||
| Infant feces | 42 ± 3a | 29 ± 3ab | 26 ± 2b | 27 ± 2ab | 29 ± 2ab | 30 ± 3ab | 34 ± 3ab | 33 ± 3ab | 34 ± 3ab |
| Infant oral | 23 ± 2 | 23 ± 2 | 21 ± 2 | 20 ± 2 | 22 ± 2 | 24 ± 2 | 28 ± 2 | 28 ± 3 | 29 ± 3 |
| Maternal feces | 64 ± 4 | 65 ± 4 | 66 ± 4 | 68 ± 4 | 65 ± 4 | 63 ± 3 | 65 ± 4 | 67 ± 4 | 64 ± 4 |
| Maternal oral | 42 ± 3 | 50 ± 3 | 47 ± 3 | 56 ± 3 | 49 ± 3 | 48 ± 3 | 50 ± 3 | 57 ± 3 | 51 ± 3 |
| Milk | 49 ± 4 | 46 ± 3 | 50 ± 4 | 44 ± 3 | 51 ± 3 | 47 ± 3 | 47 ± 3 | 59 ± 4 | 52 ± 3 |
| Simpson evenness | |||||||||
| Infant feces | 0.09 ± 0.01 | 0.10 ± 0.01 | 0.11 ± 0.01 | 0.11 ± 0.01 | 0.11 ± 0.01 | 0.10 ± 0.01 | 0.09 ± 0.01 | 0.10 ± 0.01 | 0.12 ± 0.01 |
| Infant oral | 0.11 ± 0.01a | 0.10 ± 0.01ab | 0.11 ± 0.01a | 0.10 ± 0.01ab | 0.07 ± 0.01ab | 0.07 ± 0.01ab | 0.06 ± 0.01b | 0.06 ± 0.01b | 0.07 ± 0.01ab |
| Maternal feces | 0.12 ± 0.01 | 0.11 ± 0.01 | 0.10 ± 0.01 | 0.12 ± 0.01 | 0.12 ± 0.01 | 0.12 ± 0.01 | 0.10 ± 0.01 | 0.12 ± 0.01 | 0.12 ± 0.01 |
| Maternal oral | 0.05 ± 0.01 | 0.06 ± 0.01 | 0.06 ± 0.01 | 0.07 ± 0.01 | 0.07 ± 0.01 | 0.08 ± 0.01 | 0.07 ± 0.01 | 0.08 ± 0.01 | 0.07 ± 0.01 |
| Milk | 0.08 ± 0.01 | 0.07 ± 0.01 | 0.06 ± 0.01 | 0.06 ± 0.01 | 0.05 ± 0.01 | 0.04 ± 0.01 | 0.04 ± 0.01 | 0.04 ± 0.01 | 0.07 ± 0.01 |
| Pielou's J | |||||||||
| Infant feces | 0.36 ± 0.03 | 0.36 ± 0.03 | 0.38 ± 0.02 | 0.43 ± 0.03 | 0.43 ± 0.03 | 0.42 ± 0.03 | 0.41 ± 0.03 | 0.45 ± 0.03 | 0.49 ± 0.03 |
| Infant oral | 0.32 ± 0.02 | 0.34 ± 0.03 | 0.33 ± 0.02 | 0.25 ± 0.02 | 0.24 ± 0.02 | 0.26 ± 0.02 | 0.30 ± 0.02 | 0.28 ± 0.02 | 0.33 ± 0.03 |
| Maternal feces | 0.63 ± 0.03 | 0.60 ± 0.03 | 0.59 ± 0.03 | 0.63 ± 0.03 | 0.63 ± 0.03 | 0.62 ± 0.03 | 0.61 ± 0.03 | 0.64 ± 0.03 | 0.62 ± 0.03 |
| Maternal oral | 0.37 ± 0.02 | 0.43 ± 0.03 | 0.40 ± 0.02 | 0.49 ± 0.03 | 0.45 ± 0.03 | 0.46 ± 0.03 | 0.46 ± 0.03 | 0.50 ± 0.03 | 0.46 ± 0.03 |
| Milk | 0.43 ± 0.03 | 0.42 ± 0.03 | 0.39 ± 0.03 | 0.34 ± 0.02 | 0.35 ± 0.02 | 0.31 ± 0.02 | 0.30 ± 0.02 | 0.38 ± 0.03 | 0.42 ± 0.03 |
| Shannon diversity | |||||||||
| Infant feces | 1.4 ± 0.1 | 1.2 ± 0.1 | 1.2 ± 0.1 | 1.4 ± 0.1 | 1.5 ± 0.1 | 1.5 ± 0.1 | 1.4 ± 0.1 | 1.6 ± 0.1 | 1.7 ± 0.1 |
| Infant oral | 1.0 ± 0.1 | 1.1 ± 0.1 | 1.0 ± 0.1 | 0.8 ± 0.1 | 0.7 ± 0.1 | 0.8 ± 0.1 | 1.0 ± 0.1 | 0.9 ± 0.1 | 1.1 ± 0.1 |
| Maternal feces | 2.6 ± 0.2 | 2.5 ± 0.1 | 2.5 ± 0.1 | 2.6 ± 0.1 | 2.6 ± 0.1 | 2.6 ± 0.1 | 2.5 ± 0.1 | 2.7 ± 0.2 | 2.6 ± 0.1 |
| Maternal oral | 1.4 ± 0.1b | 1.7 ± 0.1ab | 1.5 ± 0.1ab | 2.0 ± 0.1ab | 1.7 ± 0.1ab | 1.8 ± 0.1ab | 1.8 ± 0.1ab | 2.0 ± 0.1a | 1.8 ± 0.1ab |
| Milk | 1.7 ± 0.2 | 1.6 ± 0.1 | 1.5 ± 0.1 | 1.3 ± 0.1 | 1.4 ± 0.1 | 1.2 ± 0.1 | 1.2 ± 0.1 | 1.5 ± 0.1 | 1.7 ± 0.1 |
1
Values are least square means ± SEM; infant feces, n = 149; infant oral, n = 151; maternal feces, n = 162; maternal oral, n = 182; milk, n = 147. Values within a row not sharing a common superscript differ (P < 0.05). Diversity indices were calculated using the rarefied genus-level count data. Richness: higher number, more taxa present; Simpson evenness: higher number, community is more evenly distributed; Pielou's J: higher number, community is more evenly distributed; Shannon diversity: higher number, higher diversity.