Indigenous infants in remote Australia retain an ancestral gut microbiome despite encroaching Westernization

Studies of traditional Indigenous compared to 'Western' gut microbiomes are underrepresented, and lacking in young children, limiting knowledge of early-life microbiomes in different cultural contexts. Here we analyze the gut metagenomes of 50 Indigenous Australian infants (median age <one year) living remotely with variable access to Western foods, compared to age- and sex-matched non-Indigenous infants living in urban Australia. Indigenous infants had greater alpha diversity and significant differences in bacterial beta diversity, with 114 species and 38 genera differing in abundance. Indigenous infants almost exclusively had higher carriage of Megaspaera, Streptococcus, Caecibacter, Parolsenella and Prevotella species, and markedly higher numbers of gut viruses and fungi. Bifidobacteria ssp. were dominant in Indigenous infants. Despite encroaching Westernisation, the gut microbiome of Indigenous infants retains key features of traditional societies worldwide, attesting to the dominant influence of remote environment and traditional lifestyle in maintaining microbiome diversity.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2025-12-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65758-0
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Gut microbiota and health
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.81

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article

Indigenous infants in remote Australia retain an ancestral gut microbiome despite encroaching Westernization

George Garambaka Gurruwiwi, Jason A. Tye–Din, Patricia Ashwood, Elizabeth A. Davis et al.
1 citations
Nature Communications
Gut microbiota and health
0.81
article

Indigenous infants in remote Australia retain an ancestral gut microbiome despite encroaching Westernization

George Garambaka Gurruwiwi, Jason A. Tye–Din, Patricia Ashwood, Elizabeth A. Davis, Beverley‐Ann Biggs, Esther Bandala‐Sanchez, Rebecca L. Thomson, Sarah Hanieh, Alexandra J. Roth‐Schulze, Peter Vuillermin, William D. Rawlinson, Peter G. Colman, Leonard C. Harrison, John M. Wentworth, Grant Morahan, Tony Huynh, Natalie L. Stone, Georgia Soldatos, Katrina Ngui, Jennifer Couper, Theodore R. Allnutt, Megan A. S. Penno, Maria E. Craig, Aveni Haynes, Emma E. Hamilton‐Williams, Kelly McGorm, Veronica Gondarra, Simon C. Barry, K. W. Kim, Lilly Backshell
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Studies of traditional Indigenous compared to 'Western' gut microbiomes are underrepresented, and lacking in young children, limiting knowledge of early-life microbiomes in different cultural contexts. Here we analyze the gut metagenomes of 50 Indigenous Australian infants (median age <one year) living remotely with variable access to Western foods, compared to age- and sex-matched non-Indigenous infants living in urban Australia. Indigenous infants had greater alpha diversity and significant differences in bacterial beta diversity, with 114 species and 38 genera differing in abundance. Indigenous infants almost exclusively had higher carriage of Megaspaera, Streptococcus, Caecibacter, Parolsenella and Prevotella species, and markedly higher numbers of gut viruses and fungi. Bifidobacteria ssp. were dominant in Indigenous infants. Despite encroaching Westernisation, the gut microbiome of Indigenous infants retains key features of traditional societies worldwide, attesting to the dominant influence of remote environment and traditional lifestyle in maintaining microbiome diversity.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 16(1)
The University of Sydney (AU), Translational Research Institute (AU), New South Wales Department of Health (AU), Mater Health Services (AU), The Royal Melbourne Hospital (AU), Barwon Health (AU), Children's Medical Research Institute (AU), Deakin University (AU), The University of Queensland (AU), The University of Melbourne (AU), The Kids Research Institute Australia (AU), The University of Western Australia (AU), Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (AU), Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research (AU), Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (AU), Women's and Children's Hospital (AU), Children's Hospital at Westmead (AU), UNSW Sydney (AU), Mater Research (AU), Peter Doherty Institute (AU), Prince of Wales Hospital (AU), Monash Health (AU), Royal Botanic Garden Sydney (AU), Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service (AU), Perth Children's Hospital, Monash University (AU), The University of Adelaide (AU)
Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Australia, University of Melbourne, Medical Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council
Openalex Percentile: Top 21%
Gut microbiota and health
0.81
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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