Shira Levy, Kathryn McCauley, Rachel Strength, Emily S. Robbins, Qing Chen, Sivaranjani Namasivyam, G. Larry Maxwell, Suchitra K. Hourigan
Early-life exposure to colibactin-producing pks+ 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 pks+ 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.