Bionoia Where life meets thought ⌕
Back to Journal
Journal › Mucosa
Discovery

Rapid early life colonization of the intestinal tract by Akkermansia muciniphila after voluntary feeding

Read original paper

Source: [europepmc](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42177437/)

Authors: Dumlao JM, McCallum P, Hodak CR, Guinto E, Enns W, Davey LE, Choy JC.

Venue: BMC microbiology · 2026-05-23

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Non-invasive methods to colonize intact gut microbiota populations with specific bacterial species are useful for experimental studies that advance our understanding of this commensal microbial population. Within the gut microbiota, the anaerobic muciniphile Akkermansia muciniphila has many established health benefits. We report the development of a new voluntary feeding protocol for non-invasive administration of bacteria into the intestine and use it to characterize the early life colonization of the intestinal tract by A. muciniphila.<h4>Results</h4>Mice were voluntarily fed a human strain of A. muciniphila (MucT/BAA-835) in the week after weaning, whereupon they consistently and rapidly ingested the bacterium. At this developmental period, conventionally housed mice were rapidly colonized by human A. muciniphila that persisted until at least 8 weeks of age. In mice that contained a dysbiotic gut microbiota that lacks endogenous A. muciniphila, voluntary feeding with human A. muciniphila similarly led to rapid and persistent colonization. Colonization was similar in female and male mice. Also, in conventionally housed mice there was unstable colonization of the intestinal tract with endogenous A. muciniphila between 3 and 4 weeks of age, which resulted in replacement of this strain with human A. muciniphila after oral delivery.<h4>Conclusions</h4>These findings establish a new and non-invasive approach for colonizing the intestinal tract with commensal microbes and provides information on the early life colonization of the gut microbiota with A. muciniphila.

AI relevance (5/5): Directly studies Akkermansia muciniphila colonization and intestinal barrier establishment—core mucosa mechanism.

--- *Draft auto-created from Suggestions queue. Polish the body, set is_real=true when verified, and publish via `INSERT INTO bionoia_published` when ready for /public/.*

Related articles in this corpus

Parallel
Stress during the first 1,000 days of life in humans, when everything begins
Both articles examine critical early-life biological processes during the first 1,000 days, with Article A focusing on gut microbiota colonization and Article B on stress responses, representing complementary mechanisms that shape infant development.
Parallel
LEF1 gene mutation impairs the intestinal barrier and causes diarrhea
Both articles examine intestinal barrier function and health outcomes, with A focusing on beneficial bacterial colonization and B on genetic factors causing barrier dysfunction, but addressing different mechanistic pathways.
Parallel
LEF1 gene mutation impairs the intestinal barrier and causes diarrhea
Both articles address intestinal barrier function and health outcomes, with A examining beneficial colonization mechanisms and B examining genetic factors that compromise barrier integrity, but they approach the problem from distinct biological angles.
Parallel
Effect of Oral Calcium Butyrate Supplementation in Obesity
Both investigate gut microbiota interventions (A. muciniphila colonization vs. butyrate supplementation) as potential mechanisms for metabolic health improvement, but address different bacterial targets and intervention routes.
Parallel
Probiotic Intervention on the Development of Allergic Diseases in Infants Exposed to Antibiotics Early in Life
Both articles address early-life gut microbiota colonization and its developmental consequences, with A examining antibiotic disruption and allergic disease risk while B investigates specific beneficial bacterial colonization patterns.
Published 2026-05-29 · Last kit-update 2026-05-29