Dynamic Changes in Breast Milk Microbiome in the Early Postpartum Period of Kenyan Women Living with HIV Are Influenced by Antibiotics but Not Antiretrovirals
Rabia Maqsood, Peter T. Skidmore, LaRinda A. Holland, Joshua L. Au, Adam K. Khan, Lily I. Wu, Ningxin Ma, Emily R. Begnel, Bhavna Chohan, Judith Adhiambo, Grace John‐Stewart, James Kiarie, John Kinuthia, Michael H. Chung, Barbra A. Richardson, Jennifer A. Slyker, Dara A. Lehman, Efrem S. Lim
Abstract
Breastfeeding has important benefits for long-term infant health, particularly in establishing and shaping the infant gut microbiome. However, the impact of combination antiretroviral therapy exposure and antibiotics on the breast milk microbiome in women living with HIV is not known. Here, in a longitudinal retrospective study of Kenyan women living with HIV from the pre-antiretroviral therapy era, we found that antibiotic use significantly influenced breast milk microbiome beta diversity, but antiretrovirals exposure did not substantially alter the microbiome. Given the protective role of breastfeeding in maternal-infant health, these findings fill an important knowledge gap of the impact of combination antiretroviral therapy on the microbiome of women living with HIV.