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.

Citation:
Harrison LC, Allnutt TR, Hanieh S, ……. Davis EA, Huynh T, et al. Indigenous infants in remote Australia retain an ancestral gut microbiome despite encroaching Westernization. Nat Commun. 2025;16(1).

Keywords:
Bacteria; genetics; isolation and purification; microbiology; Indigenous peoples; infant

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.