Overview
This was a subproject of the STRONG Kids2 (SK2) study that was conducted by members of the Division of Nutritional Sciences and the SK2 team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Due to the critical role of the gut microbiota in the health and immunity of young infants, the objective of MIMI was to investigate the interrelationships between bacteria present on different microbial sites of infants and their mothers, and to gain a more in-depth understanding of how these bacteria were transferred between the pair. The team was particularly interested in differences present in the maternal milk microbiome among mother-infant pairs using different feeding modes (i.e., exclusive breastfeeding, exclusive formula feeding, and mixed feeding) as an infant’s diet is one of the main factors that influences an infant’s gut microbiota. Samples were collected from a small number of mother-infant pairs at six weeks of postpartum.
Research Team
- Sharon Donovan, Ph.D., RD, Principal Investigator, Professor, Nutritional Sciences
- Erin Davis, Postdoctoral Fellow, Pediatric Allergy & Immunology
Contact:
Sharon Donovan, Professor, Nutritional Sciences
sdonovan@illinois.edu
Funding
This project was supported by the Division of Nutritional Sciences Vision 20/20 Program. This is Hatch funding awarded on a competitive basis by the Division of Nutritional Sciences.