Breast milk from mothers who deliver preterm is nutritionally distinct from term breast milk and contains a microbiome that has higher numbers of Coagulase negative Staphylococcus. Little is known about the ‘phageome’ of preterm breast milk. Recent work from our group has identified that the presence of Staphylococcus is common in the preterm gut microbiome and that LOS may be gut mediated. We hypothesise that higher phage titre in breast milk will reduce Staphylococcal load at the mucosal surface and protect preterm infants from gut mediated LOS. To test this hypothesis we will seed enteroid models with phages isolated from preterm breast milk and examine the infection profile of Staphylococci isolated from preterm stool and blood culture. Identifying how phages infect bacteria and modulate microbiome development using a biologically relevant model will allow us to develop novel therapies to protect the immature gut of preterm infants.
