The role of Lactic Acid Bacteria Microbiota in Determining the pH Value of Newborn Faeces

Abstract

Abstract The low pH is considered a protective mechanism of the body against infections by providing unfavourable conditions for their causers. Analysis of fecal pH of newborns have been performed around the world during the last century, and a disturbing tendency has been surveilled due to industrialization and lifestyle change of mothers and their babies. Considering the lack of information of that kind in Bulgaria, we aimed at analysing the pH values of solely breastfed and mix-fed infants, and its relation to the quantity of the found lactic acid bacteria, their taxa and respective metabolic characteristics. A total of fifteen faecal samples were collected from neonates aged 0 to 6 months. The pH values and presence of the Lactobacillaceae family, along with significant representatives of the genus Bifidobacterium were measured and evaluated by using multiplex semi-quantitative PCR. The gathered information about infants’ supplementation intake and feeding was considered. The solely breastfed neonates showed the lowest pH values, and the highest bifidobacterial content in comparison to the mixed-fed. The average pH value is around 5.1, which we interpret as relatively low, compared to the data in the literature. No relation was observed between the probiotic supplementation and the respective stool samples. These results suggest that breastfeeding plays the main role in manifesting gut health, inducing the growth of beneficial bacteria and immunity development. More participants and additional analyses are needed.