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. 2020 Apr 14;7:33. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.00033

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Copyright © 2020 Duar, Henrick, Casaburi and Frese.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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Characteristics of a high and a low functioning infant gut microbiome based on delivery of ecosystem services. (A) A low functioning infant gut microbiome ecosystem where the resources (HMOs) are inefficiently utilized leading to their loss in the stool (17) and potential cross-feeding to non-adapted opportunistic taxa. Prevalence of non-adapted opportunistic taxa leads to loss of ecosystem stability and decreased ecosystem function along with increased abundance of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance genes (82, 84, 85). Overgrowth of mucus-degrading bacteria and elevated levels of endotoxin compromise the intestinal barrier leading to chronic enteric inflammation and/or increased susceptibility to bacterial translocation (5, 89, 90). (B) A high functioning gut microbiome where ecosystem functions and stability are maintained over time, corollary to an increase in biomass of B. infantis. HMOs are efficiently utilized by B. infantis and converted into cell biomass, organic and SCFA. Production of organic and SCFA reduces the luminal pH (17) creating an unfavorable environment for opportunistic taxa, including virulent, antibiotic resistant, and mucolytic bacteria.