… So I agree it’s most likely coming from infant oral to breast after birth. Do you know if the Bifido dominance was more likely to happen in vaginally delivered infants? This would give more weight to that theory.
I was pleased to see this published. The Bifido dominance or not seems so cohort specific. In preterms with only expressed milk we never see it, even when doing genus/species specific PCR. Or if we do it’s from the probiotics used on the unit…
A huge thanks to the amazing team in involved, especially
Dr Jon Chapman and Dr Andrea Masi for leading, and Prof Janet Berrington for her unwavering support of research in this area.
Thanks also to @wellcometrust.bsky.social and @thelisterinstitute.bsky.social for funding!
👶 A final reflection
Biology is full of nuance and context matters. The specific strain matters.
And the tiny ecosystems inside preterm infants may be leveraged to promote health.
Some bacteria traditionally seen as “bad actors” may actually support gut development under the right conditions.
🧠 Why this matters
Preterm babies rely heavily on the protective power of human milk to help their still‑developing gut and immune system. But milk alone isn’t the whole story — it also depends on which microbes are there to use it.
5️⃣ Pre‑colonisation with pfoA– protects against pfoA+ damage
In live co‑culture, the benign strain shielded the epithelium from the inflammatory and barrier‑disrupting effects of its toxigenic counterpart.
4️⃣ The pfoA gene is the fulcrum
pfoA+ strains = hypervirulent, damaging, inflammatory
pfoA– strains = hypovirulent, non‑toxic, metabolically rich
A pfoA– isolate enhanced mitochondrial function, tight junction integrity, and dampened inflammation in preterm‑derived gut organoids
3️⃣ They suppress preterm‑associated pathobionts
Cell‑free supernatants from these isolates inhibited growth of Klebsiella, E. coli, and Enterobacter — key pathobionts linked to NEC — while promoting natural infant Bifidobacterium growth.
- Polyamines associated with mucosal health
- Histamine and other neuromodulators
These metabolites influence energy metabolism, inflammation, epithelial integrity, and microbial competition.
2️⃣ They produce a broader range of beneficial metabolites
Compared with Bifidobacterium, these Clostridia generated more diverse and abundant immunomodulatory molecules, including:
- SCFAs, especially butyrate
- Tryptophan catabolites that support the epithelial barrier
Across genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, organoids, and live bacterial co‑culture, a clear story emerged:
1️⃣ Not just Bifidobacterium. Preterm‑derived Clostridium strains can metabolise multiple HMOs such as DSLNT, linked to protection against NEC.
Specifically one strain in particular, a Clostridium perfringens lacking the pfoA– gene, kept standing out.
But it turns out… they’re not alone.
In our new @natmicrobiol.nature.com paper, we uncovered that Clostridium species common in preterm infants can also metabolise HMOs, and some strains may even help protect the immature gut.
🚨 A new piece of the preterm gut microbiome puzzle just fell into place!
Bifidobacterium metabolise human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) in early life — shaping immunity, supporting gut development, and protecting against diseases like necrotising enterocolitis (NEC).
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
📣 The Whelan lab is hiring a bioinformatics postdoc 📣
Together with @fabricejpierre.bsky.social, we are offering a 1-year bioinformatic PDRA position in comparative genomics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To find out more please visit whelanlab.co.uk/contact/. Applications close 3 April 2026!
A new probiotic in development? 🦠👶
Clostridium perfringens isolated from preterm infants metabolizes human milk oligosaccharide to promote commensal Bifidobacteria, inhibit pathogens and suppress inflammation in organoids
Interesting work from @stewartlab.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I have an open BBSRC PhD position in my lab at @northumbriauni.bsky.social to start Oct 2026
This exciting project will focus on the Resistance, resilience, & redundancy in the human gut microbiome
This is part in collaboration with the fantastic @stewartlab.bsky.social
Project details ⤵️
1/2
Introducing a new gut microbiology journal, aptly titled Gut Microbiology.
All Article Publishing Charges (APCs) are waived for 2 years!
Please send your exciting research our way.
www.sciencedirect.com/journal/gut-...
The @stewartlab.bsky.social use systems biology and cutting-edge human intestinal organoid models to understand diet-microbe-host interaction across the life course, with the ambition to discover novel therapies to improve gut health.
www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-scie...
www.neonatalresearch.net
Introducing a new gut microbiology journal, aptly titled Gut Microbiology.
All Article Publishing Charges (APCs) are waived for 2 years!
Please send your exciting research our way.
www.sciencedirect.com/journal/gut-...
Led by Emily Wroot, I present our recent Comment in @natmicrobiol.nature.com
"Opportunities for microbiome-based therapeutics in preterm infants"
Hopefully this provides a timely insight for clinicians and researchers interested in preterm infants, and beyond!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Thank you ☺️
Many congratulations @stewartlab.bsky.social on this amazing achievement - so richly deserved - #BlavatnikAwards Life Sciences Laureate 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 🎉
Very happy for you and great interview 👇🏾
In our latest blog post we catch up with #BlavatnikAwards Life Sciences Laureate @stewartlab.bsky.social, who recently attended the Blavatnik Awards ceremony and public symposium and gave talks about his preventive health work on preterm infant microbiomes 🫄👶 lister-institute.org.uk/congratulati...
Thank you!
The amazing Prof Chris Stewart @stewartlab.bsky.social gives his inaugural lecture👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
We had the pleasure of interviewing Chris earlier this week for the Lister Institute blog, and were excited to learn about his team's new preprint: a game-changer in understanding how human breast milk influences the infant microbiome.
Person wearing a black tuxedo and bow tie, smiling in front of a banner with the logos. They are adorned with a medal on a yellow ribbon.
🎉 Congratulations to @stewartlab.bsky.social who has been named the Life Sciences Laureate at the 2025 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK 🎖️
Read more 👇
www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articl...
#WeAreNCL
Huge congratulations to our colleague Professor Chris Stewart on receiving the esteemed Life Sciences Laureate at the Blavatnik Awards 2025!
This is a first for @newcastleuni.bsky.social and we couldn't be more proud of Chris & his ground-breaking research!
tinyurl.com/LaureateAward