APC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland; email:
Annu Rev Food Sci Technol. 2016;7:1-21. doi: 10.1146/annurev-food-041715-033151.
The intestinal microbiota is a complex community that plays an important role in human health from the initial steps of its establishment. Its microbial composition has been suggested to result from selective pressures imposed by the host and is modulated by competition among its members. Bifidobacterium longum is one of the most abundant species of the Bifidobacterium genus in the gut microbiota of healthy breast-fed infants and adults. The recent advancements of 'omics techniques have facilitated the genetic and functional studies of different gut microbiota members. They have revealed the complex genetic pathways used to metabolize different compounds that likely contribute to the competitiveness and persistence of B. longum in the colon. The discovery of a genomic island in B. longum ssp. infantis that encodes specific enzymes for the metabolism of human milk oligosaccharides suggests a specific ecological adaptation. Moreover, B. longum is widely used as probiotic, and beneficial effects in infant health have been reported in several studies.
肠道微生物群是一个复杂的群落，从其建立的初始阶段就对人类健康起着重要作用。其微生物组成被认为是由宿主施加的选择压力产生的，并受到其成员之间竞争的调节。长双歧杆菌是健康母乳喂养婴儿和成人肠道微生物群中双歧杆菌属最丰富的物种之一。“组学”技术的最新进展促进了不同肠道微生物群成员的遗传和功能研究。它们揭示了用于代谢不同化合物的复杂遗传途径，这些化合物可能有助于长双歧杆菌在结肠中的竞争力和持久性。在婴儿双歧杆菌亚种中发现了一个基因组岛，该基因组岛编码用于代谢人乳寡糖的特定酶，这表明了一种特定的生态适应性。此外，长双歧杆菌被广泛用作益生菌，在几项研究中报告了对婴儿健康的有益影响。
