Previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of breastfeeding on the infant gut. However, research published in mSphere suggests that infants with a high level of Bifidobacterium, a bacterium commonly seen in the breastfed infant microbiome, may also be protected from several antimicrobial-resistant infections.

“Bifidobacterium can be very dominant as long as an infant is breastfed, and then bacterial levels drop off during weaning,” Diana H. Taft, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis’ department of food science and technology, said in a press release.