A bacteria that we inherit from our mother is a new food

We have known for years that breast milk is not sterile. Hundreds of different bacterial species have been identified in the colostrum and milk of healthy mothers, which normally end up in the digestive system of their offspring.

As a consequence, the microbiota is different depending on whether babies are breastfed or formula-fed. The former is rich in bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, while those who are bottle-fed have a more diverse bacterial community in which Escherichia coli, Clostridium and bacteroides are abundant.

Furthermore, it has been proven that the bacteria isolated from the mother's milk and the baby's feces are similar. About 30% of the bacteria that colonize the baby's intestine during the first months of life come from breast milk and another 10% from the mother's skin, specifically the skin around the nipple.

Well, one of the bacteria ubiquitous in breast milk, Akkermansia muciniphila, has such beneficial effects on health that it could become a new food if it can be produced on an industrial level.

The first probiotic and the first prebiotic
Breast milk is, therefore, the first probiotic we take in our lives. And since it also helps feed the baby's own microorganisms, it simultaneously acts as a true prebiotic.

Among the most abundant components of breast milk, oligosaccharides stand out, molecules composed of a few sugars that babies cannot digest at first. What are they for then? Very simple: they increase the population of bifidobacteria in the baby's intestine and are predominant during the first four months of life. Some of these bifidobacteria have specific and unique enzymes capable of breaking down these sugars in breast milk and using them as a nutrient. And the same happens with Akkermansia, some of these oligosaccharides are very similar to those that constitute mucin, the main nutrient of this bacteria. Hence its importance.

But there's more: these oligosaccharides also act as antimicrobial antiadhesives that prevent pathogenic microbes such as Streptococcus pneumoniae from attaching to the surface of the baby's intestinal mucosa. In this way they reduce the risk of infection. Breastfeeding also protects against the appearance of diarrhea and enterocolitis in the newborn, and has been associated with a reduction in the risk of suffering from intestinal inflammation.

The symbiotic relationship between the baby's microbes and the composition of the mother's milk seems undeniable. And both have evolved together over millions of years to make the baby healthier, especially by strengthening its defenses. Thrilling!

Akkermansia muciniphila, a “good” bacteria
Akkermansia muciniphila is a strict anaerobic gram-negative bacteria that is part of the natural microbiota in healthy people. It was isolated for the first time in 2004 in human fecal samples, although it is not exclusive to our species.

Akkermansia is named after Dutch microbiologist Antoon Akkermans, in recognition of his contribution to microbial ecology. Muciniphila (which is the species) means "mucus lover", since this bacteria feeds almost exclusively on the mucus that lines the intestine. This is where it is most abundant, mainly in the large intestine, although it also lives in the oral cavity, pancreas, bile ducts, gallbladder and appendix. It is a commensal bacteria, it is part of the natural microbiota in healthy people. It represents up to 4% of the total fecal microbiota from the first years of life until we are old, and has even been isolated in samples from centenarian individuals.

Akkermansia muciniphila produces short-chain fatty acids that may play an important role in the health and inflammatory state of the host. This bacteria also appears to be related to increasing the thickness of the intestinal mucosa, which improves intestinal barrier function. In addition, other studies have revealed its anti-inflammatory role in the intestinal environment. On the other hand, the beneficial effects of _ A. muciniphila_ have been demonstrated in different studies, such as the protective role against pathogens, anti-tumor properties, reduction of inflammation, improvement of intestinal permeability and enhancement of the immune response. All of this could explain why the presence of A. muciniphila has been associated with a healthy intestine.

On the contrary, its scarcity could favor several pathological states, such as ulcerative colitis and Chron's disease. People with acute appendicitis also have a reduced amount of this bacteria, the less the more severe the appendicitis. And something similar happens with obesity, fatty liver disease and diabetes. Alterations in the presence and abundance of this bacteria have also been associated with hypertension, inflammation, epilepsy, metabolic problems, autism, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cancer, psoriasis, allergic diseases, Parkinson's, etc.

Interestingly, pasteurized bacteria, but also proteins isolated from the bacteria's outer membrane, are more efficient than viable live bacteria in alleviating these health problems. Therefore, bacterial products made from A. muciniphila or the proteins it secretes could become new therapeutic tools against chronic metabolic and inflammatory diseases.

food bacteria
In September 2021, pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila was the first bacteria approved as food by the European Food Safety Authority. In reality, it is not a probiotic, since the bacteria is not administered live, but dead, pasteurized.

The traditional way to cultivate this bacteria in the laboratory is brain and heart infusion broth supplemented with porcine mucin under anaerobic conditions. The way to obtain a large amount of the bacteria for the preparation of this “food” seems to be an “industrial secret” at the moment.

Although new clinical studies are necessary to confirm its beneficial effect on health and to understand the molecular mechanisms behind it, Akkermansia muciniphila is a good example of those beneficial intestinal bacteria from which we have a lot to learn.

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Source: The Conversation. Authorship: Ignacio Lopez-Goñi Member of the SEM (Spanish Society of Microbiology) and Professor of Microbiology, University of Navarra

Featured Image: Source Pexels.com, Photo by Jonathan borba