Colibactin genes are highly prevalent in the developing infant gut microbiome
Early-life exposure to colibactin-producing <i>pks</i>+ gut bacteria is hypothesized to imprint mutations on the colorectal epithelium, increasing the risk of colorectal cancer later in life. We demonstrate an extremely high prevalence of <i>pks+</i> bacteria (>50% of infants) during the first 2 y of life, suggesting carriage is likely normal during early-life microbiome development. Further investigation is required to understand the circumstances in which carriage can lead to mutagenesis.
Authors
- Kathryn McCauley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8760-0599)
- G. Larry Maxwell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9136-2231)
- E Robbins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4178-8709)
- Shira Levy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8240-925X)
- Suchitra K. Hourigan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2656-5694)
- Qing Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2088-0370)
- Rachel Strength
- Sivaranjani Namasivyam
Institutions
- Inova Health System (US)
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Gut Microbes
- Published
- 2025-12-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2025.2604874
- Primary Topic
- Gut microbiota and health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00