Decoding the human milk virome: a comparative analysis of composition, colonization, and health impacts.
- 1Research Department, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
- 2Research Department, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
Breast milk (BM) is a complex biological system that not only delivers essential nutrition to the baby, but is also a rich collection of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi. Dominated by bacteriophages and eukaryotic viruses, the BM virome plays a role in shaping the infant gut microbiome composition, influencing immune development and long-term health outcomes. Emerging research confirms the vertical transmission of bacteriophages from the mother to her infant via breastfeeding, and the shared viral taxa suggest functional roles in modulating bacterial populations and maintaining gut homeostasis. Disruptions in this early life virome, driven by factors such as maternal health, mode of delivery, and geographic location, have been linked to dysbiosis and disease susceptibility for conditions ranging from inflammatory bowel disease to metabolic disorders.Methods
A systematic literature search was conducted in NCBI/PUBMED and the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA) using the keywords "Milk virome," "Milk phage," "Milk phageome," and "Milk metagenome". After applying our inclusion and exclusion criteria, two studies remained. This comparative analysis explores the composition and diversity of the BM virome across two geographically distinct cohorts-Turkey and the United States-revealing significant differences in viral diversity and composition.Results
The Turkish cohort exhibited a significantly higher viral richness and unique taxonomic distributions compared to the USA group. Notably, bacteriophage families like Myoviridae, Siphoviridae, and Podoviridae were shown to be abundant in both populations. The Turkish BM virome featured a higher prevalence of plant- and insect-derived viruses (e.g. Partitiviridae, Tospoviridae), likely tied to dietary or regional agricultural practices.Conclusions
Despite limitations related to sample size and methodological variability, this study emphasizes how dietary habits, environmental exposures, and geographic location may shape the breast milk virome. Further research integrating longitudinal data from a multi-ethnic population, cohorts is essential to fully harness the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of the human milk virome.
Related
- Comparative characterization of the mucosal eukaryotic virome across independent whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing cohorts
- Differential Impacts of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Community Composition and Alpha Diversity of Macroinvertebrates at a Large Urban River System
- The impacts of host community composition, clustering and vector host choice on zoonotic mosquito-borne virus transmission
- Comparative proximate composition, mineral profiles and dietary exposure assessment of Pakistani and Saudi Arabian date cultivars
- Comparative effects of perfusate composition on rat brain histology following transcardial perfusion fixation
BibTeX
@article{yahia2026decoding,
title = {{Decoding the human milk virome: a comparative analysis of composition, colonization, and health impacts.}},
author = {Samar Yahia and Selvasankar Murugesan and Souhaila Al Khodor},
journal = {Journal of translational medicine},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12967-026-08599-9},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902375},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Decoding the human milk virome: a comparative analysis of composition, colonization, and health impacts.
AU - Samar Yahia
AU - Selvasankar Murugesan
AU - Souhaila Al Khodor
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Journal of translational medicine
DO - 10.1186/s12967-026-08599-9
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902375
AB - Background Breast milk (BM) is a complex biological system that not only delivers essential nutrition to the baby, but is also a rich collection of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi. Dominated by bacteriophages and eukaryotic viruses, the BM virome plays a role in shaping the infant gut microbiome composition, influencing immune development and long-term health outcomes. Emerging research confirms the vertical transmission of bacteriophages from the mother to her infant via breastfeeding, and the shared viral taxa suggest functional roles in modulating bacterial populations and maintaining gut homeostasis. Disruptions in this early life virome, driven by factors such as maternal health, mode of delivery, and geographic location, have been linked to dysbiosis and disease susceptibility for conditions ranging from inflammatory bowel disease to metabolic disorders.Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in NCBI/PUBMED and the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA) using the keywords "Milk virome," "Milk phage," "Milk phageome," and "Milk metagenome". After applying our inclusion and exclusion criteria, two studies remained. This comparative analysis explores the composition and diversity of the BM virome across two geographically distinct cohorts-Turkey and the United States-revealing significant differences in viral diversity and composition.Results The Turkish cohort exhibited a significantly higher viral richness and unique taxonomic distributions compared to the USA group. Notably, bacteriophage families like Myoviridae, Siphoviridae, and Podoviridae were shown to be abundant in both populations. The Turkish BM virome featured a higher prevalence of plant- and insect-derived viruses (e.g. Partitiviridae, Tospoviridae), likely tied to dietary or regional agricultural practices.Conclusions Despite limitations related to sample size and methodological variability, this study emphasizes how dietary habits, environmental exposures, and geographic location may shape the breast milk virome. Further research integrating longitudinal data from a multi-ethnic population, cohorts is essential to fully harness the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of the human milk virome.
SN - 1479-5876
ER -