Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41803694›Full record

ArticleBMC microbiology2026

Temporal dynamics and functional maturation of the infant gut microbiota during the first year of life.

Fei Sun, Jingda Lu, Jingliang Qiu, Yue Jiao, Jiaxin Zhuang, Binyan Meng, Lai-Yu Kwok, Zhi Zhong

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Fei SunInner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
Jingda LuInner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
Jingliang QiuInner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
Yue JiaoInner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
Jiaxin ZhuangInner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
Binyan MengInner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
Lai-Yu KwokInner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
Zhi ZhongInner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China. imu150zhongzhi@163.com.

Funding

the Inner Mongolia Agricultural University Young Faculty Research Capacity Enhancement Program BR250107the Program for Young Talents of Science and Technology in Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region NJYT24055
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe infant gut microbiota undergoes structured, time-dependent succession during the first year of life, yet high-resolution longitudinal characterization remains limited. Here, full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed using PacBio long-read technology on 68 fecal samples from 12 exclusively breastfed infants in Hohhot, China, across six time points from birth to one year (7, 30, 60, 100, 200, and 360 days).

resultsIn this study, 68 fecal samples from 12 infants were analyzed. A total of 16 bacterial phyla, 192 genera and 251 species were annotated, with the dominant phyla being Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota and Proteobacteria; the dominant genera including Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus and Escherichia-Shigella; and the dominant species comprising Streptococcus_salivarius, Bifidobacterium_longum and Bifidobacterium_pseudocatenulatum. Alpha diversity generally increased by days 360, while community composition shifted from early Bifidobacterium dominance toward greater taxonomic and functional complexity. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) revealed that host and environmental factors collectively explained 33.92% of community variation (P = 0.001). Six temporal colonization patterns were observed through MaAsLin2 analyses., including mid-term explosive and sustained increasing trajectories. Functional profiling using Tax4Fun2 revealed time-specific enrichment of metabolic pathways, including fatty acid biosynthesis, xenobiotic degradation, and autophagy regulation at day 360. The findings of this longitudinal study be interpreted considering its modest sample size (n = 68). Future studies with larger cohorts are needed to validate and generalize these observations.

conclusionsThese findings demonstrate that infant gut microbiota assembly follows a non-random, host-guided trajectory, with dietary transitions and microbial interactions driving structural and functional maturation, providing a high-resolution framework for understanding early-life microbiome development and its implications for infant health. However, due to the limited sample size, the relevant research results have certain limitations. In the future, it is necessary to expand the sample scale and conduct more convincing studies.

Indexed as

BacteriaGastrointestinal MicrobiomeBiodiversityBreast FeedingChinaDNA, BacterialFecesFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMalePhylogenyRNA, Ribosomal, 16SSequence Analysis, DNADNA, BacterialRNA, Ribosomal, 16SAlpha DiversityBifidobacteriumBreastfeedingLong-Read SequencingMicrobial SuccessionPacBioTax4Fun2

Identifiers

PMID41803694
PMCPMC13085294

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.