The infant gut harbors a diverse microbial community consisting of several taxa whose persistence depends on adaptation to the ecosystem. In healthy breast-fed infants, the gut microbiota is dominated by Bifidobacterium spp.. Cutibacterium avidum is among the initial colonizers, however, the phylogenetic relationship of infant fecal isolates to isolates from other body sites, and C. avidum carbon utilization related to the infant gut ecosystem have been little investigated. In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic and phenotypic diversity of 28 C. avidum strains, including 16 strains isolated from feces of healthy infants. We investigated the in vitro capacity of C. avidum infant isolates to degrade and consume carbon sources present in the infant gut, and metabolic interactions of C. avidum with infant associated Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Isolates of C. avidum showed genetic heterogeneity. C. avidum consumed d- and l-lactate, glycerol, glucose, galactose, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine and maltodextrins. Alpha-galactosidase- and β-glucuronidase activity were a trait of a group of non-hemolytic strains, which were mostly isolated from infant feces. Beta-glucuronidase activity correlated with the ability to ferment glucuronic acid. Co-cultivation with B. infantis and B. bifidum enhanced C. avidum growth and production of propionate, confirming metabolic cross-feeding. This study highlights the phylogenetic and functional diversity of C. avidum, their role as secondary glycan degraders and propionate producers, and suggests adaptation of a subpopulation to the infant gut.

• MeSH
• bakteriální geny genetika   MeSH
• Bifidobacterium bifidum růst a vývoj   metabolismus   MeSH
• Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis růst a vývoj   metabolismus   MeSH
• feces mikrobiologie   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• fyziologická adaptace * MeSH
• genetická variace MeSH
• genom bakteriální genetika   MeSH
• kojenec MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mateřské mléko metabolismus   MeSH
• mikrobiální interakce MeSH
• polysacharidy metabolismus   MeSH
• propionáty metabolismus   MeSH
• Propionibacteriaceae klasifikace   genetika   růst a vývoj   metabolismus   MeSH
• sekvenční analýza DNA MeSH
• střevní mikroflóra * genetika   MeSH
• Check Tag
• kojenec MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH